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brave-clarice · 3 years

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“Clarice” Liveblog: Episode 3

Maybe Wednesday is just destined to be my watch night? At any rate, here are some more comically late hot takes for you all.

I really do not like that Clarice’s Bureau-mandated therapist is recurring character, nor do I like the way these scenes are framed.

And the name of this episode is “Are You Alright?” which...oop.

“He was a marshal.” Good to know that the sheriff BS she gave Mr. Cult Leader was made up after all.

This is a little thing, but enough with the boring monochromatic button-ups on Clarice! Where’s my girl who hides copies of Vogue under her mattress??

I don’t love this constant-flashback thing one bit.

To be 100% clear, if I haven’t been already, it’s not that I want Clarice’s mental health to be ignored. I just don’t think this is the best or most in-character way to address it.

Also: Clarice Starling is not defined by her trauma.

“Buffalo Bill...a wound I believe will never heal unless you open up about it.” Honestly?

Thanks, I hate it!

I hate to even bring up the NBC show.....but this scene is reminding me, intensely and unpleasantly, of that.

That show made Will Graham way too unstable and mentally ill as it is...and Clarice’s character is a hell of a lot stronger than book!Will, never mind NBC!Will. So having Clarice hallucinate and lash out in similar ways feels really OOC.

“Maybe your perceptions aren’t as solid as you think.” Yay, gaslighting. As if Clarice doesn’t face enough obstacles in the books.

I’ve always interpreted Ardelia as a bit of a neat freak, so that was a nice scene with the boxes!

Were most politicians wearing American flag pins in the early 90s? That feels way too modern. (iirc it became the “norm” only after 9/11.)

“Imagine someone field-dressing one of [your daughters] like a deer.” I’m getting strong and very unwelcome NBC vibes again. Stop it, show!

More gaslighting, but this time from the suspect.

“Well, I’m Army, so I’m actually a good shot.” For some reason this feels like shade at ex-Marine John Brigham even though he doesn’t exist in this show, and I’m offended on his behalf.

Speaking of, when is Clarice’s sharpshooting talent going to come up??

Krendler’s supporting Clarice? Saying she has a good idea???? WHO IS THIS GUY?!

The implication here is that...the president will fire AG Martin over bad press...? Or what?

What I’m getting from this: this Krendler is just some guy who hapens to have the same name, not the infamous King Scumbag we know and love to hate. (And those clothes...1993, where are you?!?)

Ardelia called her “Starling”! Though it was tongue-in-cheek.

“I’m aware I have the palate of an eight-year-old.” Somewhere, Hannibal is dying inside. (Hmm...wasn’t she about eight when her father was killed?)

This line/delivery was super cute!

But being unable to cook doesn’t necessarily mean you have unsophisticated tastes...

Is Catherine going to have any kind of personality? Beyond “is traumatized”?

And where is Catherine’s cat???

“It’s from the 50s.” “I’m from the 50s! ...I still work.” Cuuute.

Her sheepish little smile when the Baltimore cop tells her they’re “big fans” of hers...I would die for this girl, folks.

Hey, remember phone books?! And a nice nod to Ardelia being the bookish one of the pair.

Another homage to Silence’s cinematography (but this time she’s the reflection).

Krendler’s back in Asshole Boss mode again. Make up your minds.

Thanks, I still hate it!

Okay, yes Clarice has a temper! And she does act “impulsively” re: Krendler in Hannibal...at the END of her by-then failed career. But a fledgling female agent who’s already viewed as a kind of “loose cannon” could NOT afford to chuck a mug full of coffee at her boss (with whom she’s already butting heads/struggling to coexist) when she’s upset! Very unprofessional and unlike Clarice.

“You think I’m the one who wants to play politics?” In Hannibal, Krendler wants to run for Congress, so...yeah, I do.

Krendler wouldn’t be wrong to send Clarice home after that, tbh.

“He thinks I’m the weak link.” “You might be.” *angry noises*

Busting through doors while armed: Just Clarice Things

Krendler telling Clarice she was right...his characterization’s giving me whiplash.

Catherine’s not an actual character so far, and it’s sad.

Glad they’re acknowledging that AG Martin’s “field-dressing” comments were incredibly bad.

“I think I have some memories I need to look at...but not with you.” Oh! Oh! I know who she’s going to look at them with! ;)

“You’re trying to gaslight me, sir.” Not sure they would’ve used that term as commonly in the early 90s, though Clarice has a therapy license, so maybe?

But also: yes! CALL! HIM! OUT!

“I wish you luck finding someone who’s better at it than I am.” *shrieks* That is a Hannibal reference, and I’ll fight anyone who says it isn’t.

I’ve liked all these episodes more than my nit-picking might suggest, I swear. I enjoyed the middle half hour or so of this one a lot! It’s got a few charming little funny moments that I particularly appreciated.

That said... This was, as a whole, probably Rebecca Breeds’ weakest showing to date (through no fault of her own). And I’m getting a little antsy about (lack of) character development. I’m on board with exploring Ardelia and Catherine Martin in greater depth...but Ruth Martin, too--even Krendler? And seemingly at the expense of Clarice’s own character?

What do the non-book readers in the audience really know about Clarice so far beyond what’s shown in Silence? (Some early interviews emphasized that the film didn’t have time to delve into Clarice’s character intimately. What has the show done to remedy that so far...?) She likes junk food, she has a brother...I can’t think of much else off the top of my head. Not to be a broken record, but there’s more to Clarice than childhood trauma. More than her career. If this show is genuinely about her--well, by episode 3 and 4, it’s high time for them to start exploring who she is beyond those things.

Clarice is a sharpshooter who competes and wins. She’s a runner. She loves horses and muscle cars. She has a therapy license. She graduated at the top of her large undergraduate class. She’s interested in fashion (though she probably doesn’t let on about that to many people). I haven’t seen any of that so far, and it’s beginning to make me sad.

They also need to end the “Clarice is mentally/emotionally unstable and sometimes even hallucinates” subplot right now!

I’m dropping all my expectations for this Paul Krendler. They won’t commit to making him as intolerable and awful as he was in the books. Instead, we have an OC with a canonical name. Fine. But that choice is going to be awkward if the show goes forward and they, by some miracle, get rights to Hannibal’s character...

If Catherine Martin’s sticking around, I hope to God they give her a personality. Of course she’s suffering, and no, I don’t want them to belittle that--but right now, she’s coming across as a one-dimensional caricature of a victim rather than as a sympathetic real person.

And finally...where is my 90s aesthetic?! It’s one of the elements that I was most excited about, yet it’s barely present. Some of the tech and the cars look right. A lot of the clothes and hairstyles, though, leave much to be desired. (Clarice’s wardrobe is especially boring/disappointing so far. I was looking forward to an improvement on Jodie’s movie costumes! Clarice doesn’t have to dress just like Dana Scully--but at least Scully always looked straight out of 199x.) And there are little anachronistic things that take me right out of the early 90s.

I didn’t hate it. I didn’t love it. It wasn’t as exciting or as full of novel/film allusions as the first two (I guess they can’t all be). It also felt unfocused when it came to the characters, ultimately developing almost none of them, including the heroine. This is the episode I think I’m least likely to rewatch of the first three.

I’m hoping for better from #4!

#Clarice Starling #clarice #cbs clarice #rebecca breeds #media [cbs show]#actor [rebecca breeds]

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kvetchlandia · 5 years

Photo

Delmore Schwartz, New York City Uncredited and Undated Photograph

(for doctordee)

I think it is the year 1909. I feel as if I were in a motion picture theatre, the long arm of light crossing the darkness and spinning, my eyes fixed on the screen. This is a silent picture as if an old Biograph one, in which the actors are dressed in ridiculously old-fashioned clothes, and one flash succeeds another with sudden jumps. The actors too seem to jump about and walk too fast. The shots themselves are full of dots and rays, as if it were raining when the picture was photographed. The light is bad. It is Sunday afternoon, June 12th, 1909, and my father is walking down the quiet streets of Brooklyn on his way to visit my mother. His clothes are newly pressed and his tie is too tight in his high collar. He jingles the coins in his pockets, thinking of the witty things he will say. I feel as if I had by now relaxed entirely in the soft darkness of the theatre; the organist peals out the obvious and approximate emotions on which the audience rocks unknowingly. I am anonymous, and I have forgotten myself. It is always so when one goes to the movies, it is, as they say, a drug. My father walks from street to street of trees, lawns and houses, once in a while coming to an avenue on which a street-car skates and gnaws, slowly progressing. The conductor, who has a handle-bar mustache helps a young lady wearing a hat like a bowl with feathers on to the car. She lifts her long skirts slightly as she mounts the steps. He leisurely makes change and rings his bell. It is obviously Sunday, for everyone is wearing Sunday clothes, and the street-car’s noises emphasize the quiet of the holiday. Is not Brooklyn the City of Churches? The shops are closed and their shades drawn, but for an occasional stationery store or drug-store with great green balls in the window. My father has chosen to take this long walk because he likes to walk and think. He thinks about himself in the future and so arrives at the place he is to visit in a state of mild exaltation. He pays no attention to the houses he is passing, in which the Sunday dinner is being eaten, nor to the many trees which patrol each street, now coming to their full leafage and the time when they will room the whole street in cool shadow. An occasional carriage passes, the horse’s hooves falling like stones in the quiet afternoon, and once in a while an automobile, looking like an enormous upholstered sofa, puffs and passes. My father thinks of my mother, of how nice it will be to introduce her to his family. But he is not yet sure that he wants to marry her, and once in a while he becomes panicky about the bond already established. He reassures himself by thinking of the big men he admires who are married: William Randolph Hearst, and William Howard Taft, who has just become President of the United States. My father arrives at my mother’s house. He has come too early and so is suddenly embarrassed. My aunt, my mother’s sister, answers the loud bell with her napkin in her hand, for the family is still at dinner. As my father enters, my grandfather rises from the table and shakes hands with him. My mother has run upstairs to tidy herself. My grandmother asks my father if he has had dinner, and tells him that Rose will be downstairs soon. My grandfather opens the conversation by remarking on the mild June weather. My father sits uncomfortably near the table, holding his hat in his hand. My grandmother tells my aunt to take my father’s hat. My uncle, twelve years old, runs into the house, his hair tousled. He shouts a greeting to my father, who has often given him a nickel, and then runs upstairs. It is evident that the respect in which my father is held in this household is tempered by a good deal of mirth. He is impressive, yet he is very awkward. II Finally my mother comes downstairs, all dressed up, and my father being engaged in conversation with my grandfather becomes uneasy, not knowing whether to greet my mother or continue the conversation. He get[s] up from the chair clumsily and says “hello” gruffly. My grandfather watches, examining their congruence, such as it is, with a critical eye, and meanwhile rubbing his bearded cheek roughly, as he always does when he reflects. He is worried; he is afraid that my father will not make a good husband for his oldest daughter. At this point something happens to the film, just as my father is saying something funny to my mother; I am awakened to myself and my unhappiness just as my interest was rising. The audience begins to clap impatiently. Then the trouble is cared for but the film has been returned to a portion just shown, and once more I see my grandfather rubbing his bearded cheek and pondering my father’s character. It is difficult to get back into the picture oncemore and forget myself, but as my mother giggles at my father’s words, the darkness drowns me. My father and mother depart from the house, my father shaking hands with my mother once more, out of some unknown uneasiness. I stir uneasily also, slouched in the hard chair of the theatre. Where is the older uncle, my mother’s older brother? He is studying in his bedroom upstairs, studying for his final examination at the College of the City of New York, having been dead of rapid pneumonia for the last twentyone years. My mother and father walk down the same quiet streets once more. My mother is holding my father’s arm and telling him of the novel which she has been reading; and my father utters judgments of the characters as the plot is made clear to him. This is a habit which he very much enjoys, for he feels the utmost superiority and confidence when he approves and condemns the behavior of other people. At times he feels moved to utter a brief “Ugh”—whenever the story becomes what he would call sugary. This tribute is paid to his manliness. My mother feels satisfied by the interest which she has awakened; she is showing my father how intelligent she is, and how interesting. They reach the avenue, and the street-car leisurely arrives. They are going to Coney Island this afternoon, although my mother considers that such pleasures are inferior. She has made up her mind to indulge only in a walk on the boardwalk and a pleasant dinner, avoiding the riotous amusements as being beneath the dignity of so dignified a couple. My father tells my mother how much money he has made in the past week, exaggerating an amount which need not have been exaggerated. But my father has always felt that actualities somehow fall short. Suddenly I begin to weep. The determined old lady who sits next to me in the theatre is annoyed and looks at me with an angry face, and being intimidated, I stop. I drag out my handkerchief and dry my face, licking the drop which has fallen near my lips. Meanwhile I have missed something, for here are my mother and father alighting at the last stop, Coney Island. III They walk toward the boardwalk, and my father commands my mother to inhale the pungent air from the sea. They both breathe in deeply, both of them laughing as they do so. They have in common a great interest in health, although my father is strong and husky, my mother frail. Their minds are full of theories of what is good to eat and not good to eat, and sometimes they engage in heated discussions of the subject, the whole matter ending in my father’s announcement, made with a scornful bluster, that you have to die sooner or later anyway. On the boardwalk’s flagpole, the American flag is pulsing in an intermittent wind from the sea. My father and mother go to the rail of the boardwalk and look down on the beach where a good many bathers are casually walking about. A few are in the surf. A peanut whistle pierces the air with its pleasant and active whine, and my father goes to buy peanuts. My mother remains at the rail and stares at the ocean. The ocean seems merry to her; it pointedly sparkles and again and again the pony waves are released. She notices the children digging in the wet sand, and the bathing costumes of the girls who are her own age. My father returns with the peanuts. Overhead the sun’s lightning strikes and strikes, but neither of them are at all aware of it. The boardwalk is full of people dressed in their Sunday clothes and idly strolling. The tide does not reach as far as the boardwalk, and the strollers would feel no danger if it did. My mother and father lean on the rail of the boardwalk and absently stare at the ocean. The ocean is becoming rough; the waves come in slowly, tugging strength from far back. The moment before they somersault, the moment when they arch their backs so beautifully, showing green and white veins amid the black, that moment is intolerable. They finally crack, dashing fiercely upon the sand, actually driving, full force downward, against the sand, bouncing upward and forward, and at last petering out into a small stream which races up the beach and then is recalled. My parents gaze absentmindedly at the ocean, scarcely interested in its harshness. The sun overhead does not disturb them. But I stare at the terrible sun which breaks up sight, and the fatal, merciless, passionate ocean, I forget my parents. I stare fascinated and finally, shocked by the indifference of my father and mother, I burst out weeping once more. The old lady next to me pats me on the shoulder and says, “There, there, all of this is only a movie, young man, only a movie,” but I look up once more at the terrifying sun and the terrifying ocean, and being unable to control my tears, I get up and go to the men’s room, stumbling over the feet of the other people seated in my row. IV When I return, feeling as if I had awakened in the morning sick for lack of sleep, several hours have apparently passed and my parents are riding on the merry-go-round. My father is on a black horse, my mother on a white one, and they seem to be making an eternal circuit for the single purpose of snatching the nickel rings which are attached to the arm of one of the posts. A hand-organ is playing; it is one with the ceaseless circling of the merry-go-round. For a moment it seems that they will never get off the merry-go-round because it will never stop. I feel like one who looks down on the avenue from the 50th story of a building. But at length they do get off; even the music of the hand-organ has ceased for a moment. My father has acquired ten rings, my mother only two, although it was my mother who really wanted them. They walk on along the boardwalk as the afternoon descends by imperceptible degrees into the incredible violet of dusk. Everything fades into a relaxed glow, even the ceaseless murmuring from the beach, and the revolutions of the merry-go-round. They look for a place to have dinner. My father suggests the best one on the boardwalk and my mother demurs, in accordance with her principles. However they do go to the best place, asking for a table near the window, so that they can look out on the boardwalk and the mobile ocean. My father feels omnipotent as he places a quarter in the waiter’s hand as he asks for a table. The place is crowded and here too there is music, this time from a kind of string trio. My father orders dinner with a fine confidence. As the dinner is eaten, my father tells of his plans for the future, and my mother shows with expressive face how interested she is, and how impressed. My father becomes exultant. He is lifted up by the waltz that is being played, and his own future begins to intoxicate him. My father tells my mother that he is going to expand his business, for there is a great deal of money to be made. He wants to settle down. After all, he is twenty-nine, he has lived by himself since he was thirteen, he is making more and more money, and he is envious of his married friends when he visits them in the cozy security of their homes, surrounded, it seems, by the calm domestic pleasures, and by delightful children, and then, as the waltz reaches the moment when all the dancers swing madly, then, then with awful daring, then he asks my mother to marry him, although awkwardly enough and puzzled, even in his excitement, at how he had arrived at the proposal, and she, to make the whole business worse, begins to cry, and my father looks nervously about, not knowing at all what to do now, and my mother says: “It’s all I’ve wanted from the moment I saw you,” sobbing, and he finds all of this very difficult, scarcely to his taste, scarcely as he had thought it would be, on his long walks over Brooklyn Bridge in the revery of a fine cigar, and it was then that I stood up in the theatre and shouted: “Don’t do it. It’s not too late to change your minds, both of you. Nothing good will come of it, only remorse, hatred, scandal, and two children whose characters are monstrous.” The whole audience turned to look at me, annoyed, the usher came hurrying down the aisle flashing his searchlight, and the old lady next to me tugged me down into my seat, saying: “Be quiet. You’ll be put out, and you paid thirty-five cents to come in.” And so I shut my eyes because I could not bear to see what was happening. I sat there quietly. V But after awhile I begin to take brief glimpses, and at length I watch again with thirsty interest, like a child who wants to maintain his sulk although offered the bribe of candy. My parents are now having their picture taken in a photographer’s booth along the boardwalk. The place is shadowed in the mauve light which is apparently necessary. The camera is set to the side on its tripod and looks like a Martian man. The photographer is instructing my parents in how to pose. My father has his arm over my mother’s shoulder, and both of them smile emphatically. The photographer brings my mother a bouquet of flowers to hold in her hand but she holds it at the wrong angle. Then the photographer covers himself with the black cloth which drapes the camera and all that one sees of him is one protruding arm and his hand which clutches the rubber ball which he will squeeze when the picture is finally taken. But he is not satisfied with their appearance. He feels with certainty that somehow there is something wrong in their pose. Again and again he issues from his hidden place with new directions. Each suggestion merely makes matters worse. My father is becoming impatient. They try a seated pose. The photographer explains that he has pride, he is not interested in all of this for the money, he wants to make beautiful pictures. My father says: “Hurry up, will you? We haven’t got all night.” But the photographer only scurries about apologetically, and issues new directions. The photographer charms me. I approve of him with all my heart, for I know just how he feels, and as he criticizes each revised pose according to some unknown idea of rightness, I become quite hopeful. But then my father says angrily: “Come on, you’ve had enough time, we’re not going to wait any longer.” And the photographer, sighing unhappily, goes back under his black covering, holds out his hand, says: “One, two, three, Now!”, and the picture is taken, with my father’s smile turned into a grimace and my mother’s bright and false. It takes a few minutes for the picture to be developed and as my parents sit in the curious light they become quite depressed. VI They have passed a fortune-teller’s booth, and my mother wishes to go in, but my father does not. They begin to argue about it. My mother becomes stubborn, my father once more impatient, and then they begin to quarrel, and what my father would like to do is walk off and leave my mother there, but he knows that that would never do. My mother refuses to budge. She is near to tears, but she feels an uncontrollable desire to hear what the palm-reader will say. My father consents angrily, and they both go into a booth which is in a way like the photographer’s, since it is draped in black cloth and its light is shadowed. The place is too warm, and my father keeps saying this is all nonsense, pointing to the crystal ball on the table. The fortune-teller, a fat, short woman, garbed in what is supposed to be Oriental robes, comes into the room from the back and greets them, speaking with an accent. But suddenly my father feels that the whole thing is intolerable; he tugs at my mother’s arm, but my mother refuses to budge. And then, in terrible anger, my father lets go of my mother’s arm and strides out, leaving my mother stunned. She moves to go after my father, but the fortune-teller holds her arm tightly and begs her not to do so, and I in my seat am shocked more than can ever be said, for I feel as if I were walking a tight-rope a hundred feet over a circus-audience and suddenly the rope is showing signs of breaking, and I get up from my seat and begin to shout once more the first words I can think of to communicate my terrible fear and once more the usher comes hurrying down the aisle flashing his search-light, and the old lady pleads with me, and the shocked audience has turned to stare at me, and I keep shouting: “What are they doing? Don’t they know what they are doing? Why doesn’t my mother go after my father? If she does not do that, what will she do? Doesn’t my father know what he is doing?”—But the usher has seized my arm and is dragging me away, and as he does so, he says: “What are you doing? Don’t you know that you can’t do whatever you want to do? Why should a young man like you, with your whole life before you, get hysterical like this? Why don’t you think of what you’re doing? You can’t act like this even if other people aren’t around! You will be sorry if you do not do what you should do, you can’t carry on like this, it is not right, you will find that out soon enough, everything you do matters too much,” and he said that dragging me through the lobby of the theatre into the cold light, and I woke up into the bleak winter morning of my 21st birthday, the windowsill shining with its lip of snow, and the morning already begun.

--Delmore Schwartz, “In Dreams Begin Responsibilities” 1937

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inventor-researcher-chef · 4 years

Note

I MAY BE TO SCARED TO INTERACT BEYOND ANONYMOUSLY BUT I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE YOUR ASOUE EPISODE RANKINGS

Mmk It’s gonna be long tho so it’s going under a cut

Penultimate Peril Part 1

very accurate to the books! any changes made sense within the context of the show and worked

gorgeous aesthetics, strongest opening of any episode aside from Bad Beginning

only minus points because of Sporty Kit but she’s in it so little and the rest of it is so good that it doesn’t even matter

Max Greenfield as the Denouements was phenomenal

I actually liked the part where they try to make us think Kit was shacking up with Ernest, it was clever

Also I actually like the green uniform, I think it’s a more flattering colour on the actors than red would have been

Dewey’s death scene was amazingly shot and acted

I would die for Sunny in her toddler uniform. That being said in this episode if you look closely you can in fact see the light from the ipad they used to get her to look in the right direction

Reptile Room Part 1

Once again, gorgeous aesthetics and incredible book accuracy

Minus points for the spyglass subplot

Higher than part 2 because of Aasif Mandvi’s wonderful portrayal of Monty

I love the conservatory reptile room

Reptile Room Part 2

Very book accurate and entertaining

This is the episode where Violet’s outfits begin to slap

Minus points because with Monty’s death they made the colour grading less bright which makes sense but is less fun to look at

Also not a fan of how comedic and bafoonish the troupe is, it’s really more of an overall problem but it really just undermines how impactful Monty’s death is

Bad Beginning Part 2

Let’s be real, the Bad Beginning episodes were the most book accurate of the whole show

Loved the entire Marvelous Marriage bit, the play and marriage were done spectacularly

Lots of Jewish references, we stan

I actually like Jacquelyn’s presence in the first season, it works and adds a new element to the story

I also like Gustav being a major part of this episode because we never saw him in the original books and it’s nice to see his character before he dies (also symbolism with his death and Dewey’s)

Hostile Hospital Part 2

Do I even need to explain why this is so high on the list?

Higher than the first part because of the absolute horror of the whole operating theatre, it’s done so well

The aesthetics and filming work perfectly to underline the horror of everything

Only so low because I personally am not a fan of horror aesthetics

Bad Beginning Part 1

Once again, Bad Beginning episodes were the most book accurate and I love Jacquelyn

Strongest opening of any episode aside from Pentultimate 1

Only so low because of the cheesy CGI and NPH’s comedic Olaf

Hostile Hospital Part 1

ESME IN THE LIBRARY OF RECORDS HOLY FUCK

Low because aside from Esme being fucking fabulous in that scene I found the rest of the episode to be a bit boring at times

However, very accurate to the books and the chase scene in Last Chance was sufficiently freaky, as was the scaring Babs scene

For that matter, absolutely loved that we got to see Babs

Penultimate Peril Part 2

The Baudelaires in the trial scene made me🥺

The scene with Justice Strauss and Olaf with the kids was amazing

The ending made me cry

So low because of the opera scene, like how many issues did that have? It was pretty though

Also low for confirming Justice Strauss to have survived the fire, we don’t like getting answers to our questions

AND ANOTHER THING Esme’s ending was really lackluster? To the point of just being shitty? Especially given that while she is comedic, Lucy Punch hasn’t played up the comedy aspect of her character as much as NPH has, so Esme feels scarier and like more of a villain at this point so giving her that ending really fell flat

A very strong ending that really should have been the ending to the whole story

Grim Grotto Part 2

Grim Grotto was brought so low because of the absence of Widdershins but at least with part two you can pretend the first part had him and he left like in the books

Ansolutely in love with the submarines and Esme’s dress

Grim Grotto was one of my favorite books of the series as a kid so naturally it’s gonna be pretty high on the list

Also I think K Todd Freeman brings a needed likeability to Mr Poe, so when th Baudelaires are on Briny Beach again you do get the feeling they’re torn between going with him or Kit. Like they distrust and dislike him at this point but they don’t want to distrust him

Slippery Slope Part 2

The sinister duo are fab

Sunny is at her cutest in this episode, we’re talking peak cute

It’s pretty low because there’s a lot of stuff in the headquarters with Quigley that got cut, didn’t really make much of a difference but I missed it

I feel like Esme in the headquarters had so much potential to be as freaky as her Library of Records scene and it just fell short

Ersatz Elevator Part 2

Minus points for the VFD subplot but part 2 had less of that which is why it’s higher

Also in the ranking of Sunny being the cutest, this episode comes in at a close second to Slippery Slope

That being said overall I really adored the aesthetics of both episodes, absolutely love the mix of film noir and art deco

Jerome at the In Auction was amazing but Larry, Jacquelyn, Olivia, and Jacques was less so

Also still not a fan of the writing of the Quagmires

Ersatz Elevator Part 1

Once again, adore the aesthetics

Love the casting for the Squalors

Gunther’s disguise was *chef’s kiss*

so low because of the VFD subplot and the gratuitous musical number

That being said I did like the cuts between Keep Chasing Your Schemes and the Baudelaires finding the Quagmires, it worked well

Grim Grotto Part 1

Very low because of the absence of Widdershins and what this did to Fiona’s character

In general the way they wrote Fiona’s character was even less sympathetic than the books

Why, dear god, oh why was Quigley at Anwhistle Aquatics

Why, dear god, oh why does the Medusoid Mycelium look like that

Carnivorous Carnival Part 1

This was in fact my all time favorite book in the series as a kid and I just remember being a little disappointed I guess? By the episodes and I could never put my finger on why

Olivia’s character 😒

Higher than the second episode because I do love the creepy carnival feel and the feeling of unease before the Baudelaires know who Madame Lulu is

Also Esme’s gold outfit

As far as gratuitous musical numbers go, I do enjoy House of Freaks

Carnivorous Carnival Part 2

Cool carnival aesthetics

Chabo the wolf baby is adorable

Olivia’s death was more impactful and upsetting than Jacques’s, I’m just gonna say it

We miss a morally gray neutral character who is more interesting than a copy pasted Jacquelyn/Mrs Quagmire

Wide Window Part 2

This is really only so low because the colour grading is still kinda dull and it works within the episode but also makes it boring to look at

That being said the whole Hurricane Herman scene was phenomenal

rEaL eStAtE aGeNtS

The Colours in this episode were pretty, with the Lavender Lighthouse and the raincoats

Violet’s outfits remain slapping

The change to Josephine’s character is a good change (until season two when they do that to every single other character and take away any and all moral ambiguity but still)

Slippery Slope Part 1

we weRNT EXPELLED

I did love the Mortmain Mountains set

so low for the killing of the freaks, Sporty Kit, and for the heavy handed way they got rid of Jacquelyn

Wide Window Part 1

Boring and dull

Only this high because of Violet’s poppin outfits, the beautiful set, and Alfre Woodard as Josephine

Also the Captain Sham disguise is my favorite after Gunther

Austere Academy Part 2

The only reason part two is so high is because it has more Carmelita

who is the only good bit of these episodes

Like they’re both relatively book accurate, especially with the casting but like

I did not think it possible to make the Quagmires in this book more boring and yet

I get that it’s supposed to be dark and gloomy and depressing but it shouldn’t be so much that people just don’t want to watch it

Sunny running after the Quagmires in her little uniform does put this episode at like number 5 in her cuteness ranking though so points for that

Miserable Mill Part 2

While I miss the sword fight, I do understand why it was changed so I can accept it

Part 2 is higher because of Georgina’s slappin purple pantsuit

As far as MM goes I did actually like it but it still is kinda boring in comparison to the rest of the episodes

But I did like the mill scenes and Sir

Also a really strong ending that sets up season two nicely

Miserable Mill Part 1

See above

A little lower that Part 2 because of more Quagmire scenes

I actually liked the Quagmire scenes in season one and how it was handled but less so in this episode? Maybe it was the cheesy effects with the fighting

Also CGI Sunny. Her least cute episode

Vile Village Part 2

Vile Village was definitely one of my favorite books and I was so disappointed by the episodes

While I liked the western aesthetic, I don’t think it felt right with the feel of the book

Also crow nazis

Now that Jacques is dead there’s no bad VFD subplot so that’s why it’s higher than part 1

I really like how they handled Sunny not being able to take her first steps because she’s too old now. This is also definitely a good episode for the Sunny Being Cute scale

Vile Village Part 1

I really think the only thing this episode has going for it is the costumes, specifically Violet and Sunny’s

the watercolor dress, flannel, overalls, jesse hat, tricolor dress? fashion legends

disappointing, kinda boring, bland to look at, horrible VFD subplot, D+V???, bad CGI

however cute donkey

also a fan of Esme’s accent, idk what it’s supposed to be but it made my russian friend laugh

Austere Academy Part 1

Same as the first part however less Carmelita and Larry and Jacquelyn are at their most useless

Just the least entertaining episode overall

The End

honestly do I even need to explain this

I get what they were going for with the pink sheep and I quite like the tents but the pink robes were not flattering on anyone

Kit. Sugar. why is she in a white dress? when did she have time to change? overt christian symbolism after 14 episodes of Jewishness. Ishmael founded VFD. Ishmael can walk

The bad CGI. I haven’t seen CGI this bad since season one

The arboretum was disappointing and didn’t give the feel of years worth of buildup and it didn’t feel like the Baudelaires could live off of this stuff

That being said I loved chapter fourteen and BL

#asoue #a series of unfortunate events #asoue netflix #asoue thoughts #i would love to hear other peoples opinions on this

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scripttorture · 5 years

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Torture in Fiction: The Age of Shadows

My copy of The Age of Shadows says ‘Korean cinema at its best’ on the cover and I’m no expert on world cinema but I’m inclined to agree. It’s an incredible piece of film making. The period backdrops and costumes are lovingly recreated, rich and detailed. Every single actor is doing an incredible job and they’re putting their all into a story that’s both satisfying and surprising. The lighting and the way each scene is shot creates an amazing atmosphere.

This is a really high quality film. Personally I think it’s the best World War 2 movie I’ve seen.

But I’m not here to talk about how Western cinema often overlooks really good movies from other countries. I’m rating the depiction and use of torture, not the movie itself. I’m trying to take into account realism (regardless of fantasy or sci fi elements), presence of any apologist arguments, stereotypes and the narrative treatment of victims and torturers.

The Age of Shadows is set in Occupied Korea and it’s primarily about Lee Jung-chool.

Lee is a police officer and he’s a Korean. With the nation controlled by Japan and the Korean people oppressed many Koreans look on people like Lee as a traitor.

Lee’s sent after the Resistance. Police attempt to capture two Resistance members who are selling an antique to raise money for explosives. When this doesn’t work Lee takes the antique to a known Resistance sympathiser and antiques expert (Kim Woo-jin), attempting to track down the main group.

Kim knows that Lee’s a police captain and when Lee keeps showing up Kim takes the problem to the leader of his Resistance cell, Jung Che-san. Jung makes a rather daring decision, he suggests befriending Lee and trying to turn ‘the enemy’s spy into our own’.

The rest of the movie plays out as a cat and mouse game over Lee’s loyalty, with his true sympathies obscured until the very end of the film. Between the excellent script and Song Kang-ho’s brilliant turn as Lee it really does keep you on the edge of your seat.

There’s a lot of violence and action throughout the movie. It’s mostly fights and gun battles between Occupying and Resistance forces. However there are a couple of scenes that are legally torture and a few scenes that fits the pop culture conception of torture.

Part way through the film one of the Resistance members is captured alive and tortured, a woman called Yeon. Lee hasn’t really met her and has no strong emotional connection to her. At this point Lee is still playing both sides but he’s shot a fellow police officer, he is compromised and the last thing he said to Kim was that if they met again one of them would die.

Lee’s superior officer takes him to Yeon. She’s cuffed and tied to a wooden chair, messy, exhausted and has clearly been beaten. Lee’s boss asks Lee to question her in Korean and ask for Kim’s location. At first Yeon doesn’t answer and a policeman threatens to smash her feet with a hammer. Lee’s boss stops him and then takes a piece of glowing hot metal from the stove. He hands it to Lee and instructs Lee to burn her face. Yeon keeps screaming that she doesn’t know where Kim is.

Raids on Resistance safe houses follow, with most of the Resistance members shot dead. A few are captured alive and we see one, hung from his hands and burnt with hot metal while Lee watches. But Kim escapes and Lee later receives a message to meet Kim and bring false ID.

Lee goes and finds Kim with all the Resistance’s explosives. They release that Kim didn’t send the messenger. Kim flees through the woods and is captured alive but his pack contains potatoes. He’s tortured by Lee’s boss and asked the location of the explosives, he says they’re ‘under your feet’.

Later Lee is captured. He doesn’t have the explosives and while we don’t see it, it is heavily implied Lee is tortured as well.

The surviving Resistance members and Lee are brought before a Japanese court. Lee, with his voice breaking and tears streaming down his face, says he is a loyal member of the police force who was acting to the best of his ability trying to flush out the remaining Resistance members by taking the explosives. He denounces the Resistance and claims he was on the side of the police all along.

A month later Lee is released and we learn that Yeon starved herself to death in custody. Lee breaks down in tears when he finds out.

We see Lee at home, unresponsive and despondent. And then we get a flashback which changes everything. Before Kim and Lee separated Kim asked Lee to hide the explosives and denounce the Resistance, to play the loyal Japanese police officer one more time.

Lee recovers the explosives and plants them in the Police Bureau club on the night of a banquet. The last shot of the film is Kim smiling in his cell.

I’m giving it 10/10

The Good

The movie does a wonderful job of exploring what it takes to change hearts and minds. There’s an awful lot of time devoted to Jung and Kim socialising with Lee. They talk, they share meals, they drink together. And it really does create a sense of building strong relationships in a realistic way. I loved the way the movie really hinges on these building relationships.

While it’s showing realistic ways to change hearts and minds the movie also subverts and averts the idea of threats or force changing people’s beliefs. It does so repeatedly. There are Resistance ‘rats’ who betray the group but these characters aren’t tortured and don’t seem to be coerced. They say they did it because they don’t think the Resistance can win.

The film also does a brilliant line in showing how far people will sometimes go to avoid compromising their beliefs. Within the first ten minutes we see a Resistance member commit suicide rather than be captured by the Japanese or the police.

The scene with Yeon is messy in a way torture scenes often aren’t. It is still prettied up, but it struck me as unusual that Yeon isn’t sexualised in this moment. That her pain and exhaustion is allowed to be ugly, to be messy. The scene is primarily framed as distressing. It’s rare in torture scenes generally and it’s rarer when the victim is a female character the story expects us to find attractive.

The police don’t get useful information from Yeon. In fact it’s unclear whether Yeon can give them the information they want; the place the Resistance were planning to meet changed multiple times before Yeon was captured. There’s a good chance she genuinely has no idea where Kim is. But the torturers keep asking the same question. The whole set up feels incredibly true to life, the pointless repetition from the torturers and the strong possibility the victim can’t give them what they want.

The police don’t get useful information from any of the Resistance members they capture and torture.

Yeon’s resistance is different to Kim’s but both are possible. Kim is allowed a little macho posturing, telling the police flatly that he will never tell them anything. Then he bites off his tongue.

Lee is visibly shaken by witnessing and participating in Yeon’s torture. His boss comments on it and we see his hands shake. Watching the movie again it’s very easy to read witnessing torture as the moment Lee definitely changes sides. His loneliness and distress are clear from the shots, the acting and the script. Torture has a realistic impact on him and it radicalises him.

The Japanese police say that torture works, that the Resistance will tell them everything eventually, and it is realistic to have torturers and torture apologists express these sentiments. It’s nice to see a story that has characters expressing these views without supporting them.

The torture methods we see clearly are in keeping with the time and place the story is set. The Japanese occupying forces did use hot metal to burn political prisoners in Korea, they did suspend prisoners from the wrists and they did use pincers to crush fingers. The torture scenes in this movie might be the most historically accurate ones I’ve ever seen.

The movie also shows a few scenes that are legally torture but are not treated the same way narratively. A Japanese police officer who works with Lee in the beginning of the movie is shown torturing his underlings by repeatedly slapping them. The attacks are frenzied and while we don’t see the effects on the victims we do see the effect on the character’s investigations- he seems to be taking most of his accurate information from Lee and is unable to obtain any on his own. This is realistic, torture impedes investigation.

This officer is also realistically framed as seeing himself in competition with Lee. Torturers do tend to frame their actions as competition and as chasing individual glory. The officer takes information from Lee and Lee’s sources but doesn’t offer any in return. He doesn’t communicate with Lee. He doesn’t obey the orders he has, which are to listen to and learn from Lee. And as a result we see him bungling multiple raids on the Resistance.

The Bad

Yeon is shown as being in a much worse state physically then the other Resistance members after torture. Despite the narrative implication that they’re treated the same way. This seems to suggest that the one female member of the group is the ‘weaker’ member. Her resolve and loyalty are not questioned, but her physical ability is. And there’s no evidence to suggest men are more likely to survive torture then women.

I think that while it’s positive that we see different sorts of resistance from Yeon and Kim but the choice of responses seem to be heavily gendered. It’s significant that Kim is the one who gets the good lines and spits defiance while Yeon screams that she doesn’t know.

Miscellaneous

The sheer volume of alcohol consumed in this movie is absolutely incredible. And it makes for some interesting scenes of various characters trying to act drunker then they are while trying to ply another character for information. The Resistance; never knowingly sober. In seriousness though- this is a rather old fashioned version of trying to drug the truth out of someone. And it’s portrayed as realistically unsuccessful.

Overall

I really do love this movie, it’s a great piece of storytelling and I think overall it uses violence and torture well.

Throughout this they support the plot, develop the characters and help build up the setting. It’s a movie with a lot of on screen deaths but despite that none of them seem cheap. The loss of life is to establish both the time period and the stakes for which the Resistance and the police are playing.

Torture, when it appears, is mostly about the strength and defiance of survivors. It’s distressing, it’s visceral. In Yeon’s case it’s framed as especially tragic, her death and suffering are needless. And it doesn’t work. If anything it undermines the police by deciding Lee’s wavering loyalty.

Torturers in the movie aren’t portrayed as competent investigators. They’re also not glamorised. Lee’s boss is an immaculate official but he’s also very clearly the bad guy and he’s never portrayed as ‘cool’. At best he’s a crafty enemy to outwit. The Japanese officer who is supposed to ‘assisting’ Lee is shown as brutal, unable to follow orders and incompetent. He’s a blustering bully who helps push Lee’s loyalty towards the Resistance by making the police force an uncomfortable place to be.

Witnessing and participating in torture is shown as affecting as well as pointless. And while the torture scenes are still prettied up in some ways they do look- well awful.

I think there are some sexist elements in the way victims are portrayed and I wish that could have been handled in a better way. But nonetheless, torture never ‘works’ here. Survivors are effected by what they go through but they’re not ‘broken’. They don’t change their strongly held beliefs.

And they keep going. Despite their pain.

This movie might not be everyone’s cup of tea but when it comes to torture and torture survivors it’s overwhelmingly positive.

Available on Wordpress.

Disclaimer

#tw torture #tw police brutality #tw sexism #torture in fiction #The Age of Shadows #resistance to torture #writing victims #writing torturers #effects of torture on organisations #effects of torture on witnesses #scarring torture #historical torture #historical fiction #World War 2

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weekendwarriorblog · 5 years

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ROCKETMAN REVIEW: Ed’s Very Important Thoughts on the Elton John Musical

I just want to start this review by saying something very important: I have NEVER been a fan of Elton John or his music. Sure, I used to hear his songs all over AM radio was a kid, and my mother had a couple albums in her measly collection, but I have never owned a single one of his records or had any interest of changing that. Imagine my surprise when I didn’t just like Rocketman but actually loved it!

I don’t want to spend too much time dwelling on comparisons between this and the 2018 Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody from last year. True that both Mercury and John were hugely popular performers, as well as gay icons who both got pulled down by debaucherous excess. And yes, I realize that Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher was brought in to finish Bohemian Rhapsody, but they’re very different movies, something you realize almost immediately asRocketmantakes the tactics of being a jukebox musical on top of being a biopic that seems fairly straightforward, at least at first.

We quickly learn that John, born Reginald Dwight, came from a loveless family with a father who clearly didn’t want a child as he was pushed into exploring his piano virtuosity. Young Reggie is quite brilliant, and he is soon at the Royal Academy of Music before discovering rock ‘n’ roll. The rest is history.

It takes some time for Rocketman to get going and part of that is just trying to tell the story in a linear fashion without necessarily worrying about which songs come from later parts of John’s career. Things really pick up when Taron Egerton takes over for the excellent younger actor Matthew Illesley who looks eerily like John did as a child. This takes place in a rousing song and dance version of “Saturday Night” that makes the changeover between actors more fluid.

One of the reasons why Rocketman seems to work so well is that it has the actual still-living Elton John alive to act as exec. producer to make sure they get things right, especially the emotions he was feeling during the best and worst of times.

It needs to be stressed that Taron Egerton’s performance is outstanding. From the second he shows up dressed in a flamboyant devil’s outfit -- an invention for the film rather than based on an actual costume -- for his first rehab session to his ability to channel John on stage and as he goes through different parts of his career. It’s more than an impersonation though, as Egerton clearly has a solid singing voice and can capture enough of John’s essence that he almost seems to be channeling him into what is a strong and rounded dramatic performance. I would be severely shocked if Egerton isn’t in the Oscar race early next year, because it’s such a transparent transformation Egerton goes though, it’s impossible not to be impressed.

There’s also a great cast around Egerton from Jamie Bell as his writing partner Bernie Taupin (who I didn’t recognize until much later in the movie) to Bryce Dallas Howard as his mother, who also doesn’t seem to care much about her son until he becomes rich and famous.

As John’s success explodes in the United States, it becomes all about the excess of drugs and sex, and it’s somewhat surprising John didn’t end up contracting and dying from AIDS when you consider all the things he got involved with. At no time does the movie try to make you think that John was a saint but at least it isn’t impossible to find correlations between how he was treated as a child and how he never truly grew up and remained a child as he ended up with an excess cash flow. In that way, the characters ends up being far more sympathetic than one could imagine.

Director Dexter Fletcher finally gets to get some of the credit he should have gotten for Bohemian Rhapsody, even though this is a very different movie. He and his team find a way to present each and every Elton John song in the movie in a unique way. Each number gets a special treatment that adds to the story, and the way John’s songs are framed through his story gives them far more weight. It even gets to the point later in the movie whether I wasn’t sure if we were watching the actual Elton John video for “I’m Still Standing” or something recreated by Fletcher with Egerton.

More than anything, Rocketman offers equal parts entertainment and emotional storytelling that keeps you invested from beginning to end. Before seeing Rocketman, I had absolutely zero interest in Elton John or his music. After seeing it, I just can’t stop listening to his music with new ears, and I can’t wait to see Rocketman a second, third and fourth time.

RATING: 9/10

#Rocketman Reviews Movies DexterFletcher TaronEgerton EltonJohn

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curly-q-reviews · 5 years

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ROAD TO THE OSCAR MAYER WIENER AWARDS 2K19

Black Panther, 2018 (dir. Ryan Coogler)

Nominated for: Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing

ok y’all lets get this party started with a movie i didnt get to catch in theaters (i think i ended up renting it) but people were absolutely raving about it all of last year, and for good reason i gotta say! it was one of the better marvel films that came out last year (though in my humble opinion Infinity War takes the gold)

speaking of marvel lets talk about it for a spell! lets have a lil sit-down chit-chat shall we!! cause its kind of insane how much of an american media phenomenon marvel has become, they are arguably single-handedly responsible for reviving the superhero movie subgenre and now these types of movies bring hollywood more dineros than they probably know what to do with (besides make more superhero movies). what used to be a niche market where only your most hardcore of nerdy types dared to dwell has been embraced into the mainstream wholeheartedly, and now its hard to imagine the american film industry without them.

from a film critique standpoint, marvel movies seem to be a hit-or-miss as far as quality, however i cant really think of a particular marvel movie that i thought was a total piece of hot garbage (the first two Thor movies come close but they were more boring than anything else). however last year was a real success for the studio, they just kept pumping out quality movies left and right and once disney managed to get its grubby lil mouse paws on Spider-man it was a done deal baby. DC and other companies have tried again and again to recreate the success that Marvel has managed and so far they’ve failed to various degrees. Marvel’s just got that special something with their cinematic universe, some magical combo of great actors and creative directors and an ever-expanding budget that keeps them staying at the top every time.

so whats my stance on superhero movies??? well theyre not my usual cup of tea but i gotta say they’re real damn entertaining. i kinda view them like a high-speed ride at an amusement park, super fun and thrilling and exhilarating and just a real good time! but thats about as far as it goes for me, and im sure thats the same for a lot of people. to be honest its kinda refreshing to have movies that quality-wise are up to my standards that i dont have to think too hard about. so for me the movies i typically go for are like museums, whereas superhero movies (and action movies in general) are like a carnival. both entertaining and fun, but the latter is just all about letting loose and not wondering about the why’s and how’s. when i think about it, this kinda mindset is for sure a factor in how these movies got so popular, because with the shitshow that is our current government and the potential imminent death of our planet people are once again looking for movies as a form of escapism, rather than a way to get deep and philosophical and ask the tough questions and see something profound.

with that being said, despite some exceptions that have proven me wrong to my utter joy and delight (im looking at u Logan), i expect movies that are nominated for wiener awards to be more like museums than like carnivals y’know what i mean? u catchin my drift??? u takin what im dishin out???? the academy awards have a long history of prestige, of nominating the best of the best of any given year. quite a few movies that won oscars are now considered to be timeless classics. which is why superhero movies, at least the typical marvel types that are chocked to the brim with CGI and epic massive fight scenes and explosions, dont really strike me as anything that could eventually become a timeless classic. the amount of computer-generated effects alone will make these movies feel really dated as soon as like five years from now with how fast technology is progressing. i just dont see it happening.

and that brings us to the first wiener award nominee ill be talking about, Black Panther. this isnt director Ryan Coogler’s first time at the rodeo; his first feature film Fruitvale Station received critical acclaim in 2013, and the spiritual Rocky sequel Creed actually got nominated for some oscars a few years ago. so we’ve got a promising and talented director at the helm which is a great start! we’ve also got a stellar cast with the likes of michael b. jordan (who has been in all of Coogler’s films so far), lupita nyong’o, angela bassett, and forest whitaker in the bunch. it also has the astronomical financial backing of Supreme Overlord Disney so u know this is gonna be some high-quality shit.

so i’m gonna tell y’all why i think this movie got nominated for so many oscars, because in a way i do think this movie is deserving of noms from the academy. theres no denying that it is very groundbreaking for a movie of this scale and magnitude to have a black director and a nearly all-black cast. in fact, i think a lot of the crew members (including set and costume design) were black as well. thats fuckin huge my guy. and this movie was by no means a flop either; it ended up being one of the highest-grossing films of 2018 and stayed in theaters for a loooong-ass time. and not only were the people on this project mostly black, the movie itself is a story praising and showing off the beauty of african culture without exotifying or demeaning it in any way. like i can say 100% without a doubt that this movie deserves its best costume design nom cause holy shit the outfits in this movie are stunning, just the perfect blend of ancient/current tribal african aesthetics and a more futuristic sleek style that any fashion enthusiast can drool over.

i cant say much about best musical score or best sound mixing or anything like that cause it all seemed like typical marvel stuff to me and wasnt all that memorable. however i can say that the production design on this movie, while it didnt impress me as much as costuming, did still impress me. the one thing i gotta knock it on is all the fucken CGI, like whole entire towns and landscapes were digitally rendered. i wouldve been a lot more impressed and would agree more to the production design nom if they used more practical effects and real sets/locations.

so. best picture. this is where i feel the most conflicted. cause this is where i now have to look past all the pretty fancy visuals and music and look at the actual meat of this movie, its story and characters. usually best picture noms also get noms for things like best actress, best script, and best director, cause those are all really important elements of a good film. ur movie can look and sound as pretty as it wants but if the storys shit and the characters are shit and the actings shit then u dont have much going for u.

and by no means am i saying that Black Panther was shitty in these aspects, it was just well. passable. it was ok. but nothing to write home about

we got some good performances from newcomers letitia wright and chadwick boseman, lupita kills it as always, but then everyone else was like. okay. michael b. jordan didnt really do his best in this and idk if its the script’s fault or something but it was weird. and speaking of the script it was uuuuhhhhh well. not great. every time i think about that “what are those” reference i die a little inside. and the story overall wasnt really anything new when u break it down, just another “son of king struggles to take his place” narrative. and that aspect of the story couldve actually been more developed into something interesting, i found myself really intrigued with the political scenes. but there just wasnt enough of that cause they needed to make more room for the PEW PEW POW EXPLOSIONS

granted, movies with lots of shimmer but little substance have been nominated for best picture before (just look at James Cameron’s Avatar which is apparently getting a sequel now????????). and its not even that this movie is completely devoid of substance cause theres some interesting things going on plot-wise, and some stand-out characters too (shuri is the boss and no one can tell me otherwise). its just, u know, a good superhero movie. nothing really profound about the story itself except for the cultural, historical, and social context behind it.

so lemme get back to why i think this movie got a best picture nom. i think the academy wants to keep up their appearance of being #woke now by continuing to nominate more than one poc-heavy project each year, but they seem to be caring less and less about the actual overall quality of these movies. and theres even some movies on the noms list that i think actually have what it takes to be a strong oscars contender, like If Beale Street Could Talk and BlacKkKlansmen. but i think in Black Panther’s case, they were under a lot of pressure to give it top noms (or any noms at all) because of the intensely positive response this movie got, as well as the accusations of racism to people who didnt think it was as great as fans were saying.

also i have no doubt that Supreme Overlord Disney like threw piles and piles of money at the academy like they tend to do (cause i’d bet good money thats the only fucken way Incredibles 2 got nominated for anything)

well anyway ive gone on long enough about this, lemme know what y’all think. really the only nom im iffy about when it comes to this movie is Best Picture, but the others i think are well enough deserved, especially costume design. so i guess the one thing i struggle with is this: does a movie becoming a pop culture phenomenon and being groundbreaking in its cast and crew count as enough for it to be nominated for the top prize of the wiener awards, despite any fallbacks in script, direction, and acting? idk man im just hoping it doesnt get the award by default or something but then again maybe after watching all the other nominees it may turn out that the rest of them were worse than Black Panther i guess i’ll have to find out

stay tuned for my A Star Is Born review y’all stay fresh and funky eat ur vegetables stay in school u dont need drugs when ur high on life

#road to the oscar mayer weiner awards 2k19 #curly q reviews #black panther #oscars #academy awards #oscars 2019 #chadwick boseman #letitia wright #lupita nyong'o #forest whitaker #angela bassett #marvel #superhero movies #best picture #fruitvale station #creed #ryan coogler #thor #avengers infinity war

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vaguely-gestures-to-the-void · 3 years

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Hindsight: My thoughts on Loki (2021)

Spoilers below. Please correct me if I slip up. I am in no way shape or form educated on ANYTHING to do with the making of films, how to critique this stuff etc, this is all just my opinion. If I haven’t covered a scene, it’s probably because it’s already been covered much better than I can. This is my extended episode 1 review.

Episode 1: GLORIOUS PURPOSE

Pre-title scene

The scene titles looking like a train station combined with the scrolling through time is such a cool stylistic choice.

The music is familiar, but followed by an alternate shot of Loki as Cap. A different perspective of something known, how fitting. FYI, I’m going to mention music a lot.

Love how no one questions the Hulk terrifying people.

This is the last time Loki will hear Thor call his name, or speak to him. Oh darn, I made myself sad.

Marvel studios logo

The Marvel logo changing colours + Loki theme finally taking the centre stage. I love it.

The comments made on Loki soundtrack videos saying ‘I see that the Mandalorian soundtrack has become a genre’ are so accurate it hurts. Shout out to Ludwig btw, he deserves all the awards for his soundtracks.

My thoughts so far: This part is setting up the general shift in tone from what we’ve seen in past Marvel projects, even the other shows. It reaffirms the audience’s subconscious that whilst we are familiar with the characters, there’s new twists up ahead, subtle hints to oncoming mischief. Props to the entire team behind the series.

Gobi Desert Scene

As much as I liked the opening bug crawl, the following interactions look a bit CGId. I’m being picky, they really are gorgeous. It’s also difficult after having seen the Mandalorian, but that show really paid attention to scenery as it was an instrumental part of the story, whereas here it’s just one scene and all the others are stunning.

The parallels to Tony in the desert. Loki immediately rips off the muzzle (?).

I just watched the scene and yes, Tony rips off the mask immediately.

Also I think I would have definitely had a crush on young RDJ.

And Gwyneth Paltrow (GOOP LADY) if I didn’t know her now.

Props to Tom Hiddleston’s acting. Loki’s face when he sits up is just pure confusion but with the signature hint of indignation that I’d expect from his characterisation at this point.

The rock lmao.

THE MUSIC WHEN B-15 (MY QUEEN) APPEARS. HELL YEAH!

Also props to the supporting cast of minutemen, where does Marvel find these people? They’re so well choreographed, they all move perfectly and it’s a joy to watch.

Love the time doors honestly.

I couldn’t have been the only one who thought that the temp pads were Samsung phones for a sec right?

Lol is that unintentional foreshadowing about the TVA? Jk I’m just clowning.

Has anyone spoken about what the Temp pad showed?

My theory is that ‘Units’ refer to a predetermined rate of change [e.g. m/s] where one unit = one increment of change.

The steady rate of change here is interesting. I’ll talk about it more at the end of the next episode.

I love the music, just the slow ticking increasing in pace and the dramatic flares brought on by the strings (I think), simply divine. Natalie Holt got it spot on and props to Tom Hiddleston and literally everyone involved for understanding the importance of good music with this series. I’ll talk about this in depth in the next episode, just wanted to mention it when it first started that I noticed.

In retrospect, I can definitely retract my critique of the background in the scene. It holds up well now that I’ve rewatched it.

B-15 doesn’t get enough love. Shout out to Wunmi Mosaku, she’s a trooper and I’m here to hype her up.

Also y'all I just checked the cast list and ???? Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner and Tessa Thompson are on it?????? MARVEL TF IS THIS WHAT TOM MEANT BY EP 4 BEING WILD I-

Tom’s acting chops: The face moment. You know the one. It’s pretty incredible.

Theory from me: the reason that Loki doesn’t see the hit coming is because B15 was moving unnaturally fast.

It’s the immediate change in the music to reflect the audience’s reaction at the standard fight scene taking a strange turn for me lads.

B-15 doesn’t smile, which I think is in character for her.

She’s seen this shit wayyyy too many times.

We’re not even five minutes into the first ep and a) I’ve waffled this much, Gods, and b) the music has changed at least 3?? Times to reflect what’s happening. I love it.

My theory about resetting the timeline: the reset charges get rid of anything in the immediate vicinity of the branch, pretty much a mini-apocalypse of the timeline. If everything is erased, none of it matters. Does that make sense?

Taking away the Tesseract while yes, it serves a purpose with showing Loki the might of the TVA later on, also reflects how nitpicky the TVA are about their time-keeping. They do everything in a very orderly fashion, but as we see later, the outdated nature of things is very human.

The TVA - the elevator thing

Man I love the TVA’s look. Someone (and I’ve heard that Kate Herron was also very particular about the set design) went to extraordinary lengths with every single scene, not just this one, but the one before as well.

Heck I just want to appreciate how much of a visual feast this series is. Good on ‘em.

The shots changing angle is also very interesting. They switch it up between one-takes, close-ups of differing extremities and it just keeps the flow fast-paced, ya know?

Watching Loki run was hilarious.

“Sounds dumb.” - Casey, Null Time Zone.

This weird robot is what I think of when the TVA is mentioned. Advanced tech mimicking a retroistic 70s feel.

The cat’s adorable.

The clock. The cup. The placing of props. Impeccable.

The clock’s hands don’t move whilst they’re on screen.

The realisation on his face when he eyes the stack of papers.

Why is the wall so badly scratched???

I love that the signature is in character. I have a huge thing for attention to detail lmao.

Again, why are all of the walls so scratched? If they could talk, I’d presume it’s just a set design choice but it’s interesting that they did that.

Does anyone else want a TVA sweater vest?

Tickets

The opening zoom in on Loki combined with the consistent brown-orange colours of the set makes the room look uniform and encompassing. I love how the lights are always placed in a repetitive manner so rooms are given the illusion that they go on forever.

Lighting here creates depth, but whilst the lights form a ceiling, we can’t actually see how they’re suspended and I think that’s neat.

The posters. Yes.

This is the first time I noticed the different minutemen uniforms. This one’s half orange-red and black. Pretty cool imo.

Shout out to Tara Strong and the entire animation.

The butterfly was a nice hint to the butterfly effect, and the music is perfect as always.

The wooden walls in the background of this shot. How very 70s.

The reflection showing the guy getting pruned is pretty cool.

Again, another clock with no movement on the wall.

The first 11 minutes are up and we’ve made it to the title! If you’ve read this far, congrats.

1549 Aix-en-provence, France

Just speculating, we’re in a church with an initial high-angled nearly bird’s eye view and then a cut to one looking up at Mobius. I guess it means even if we think as viewers our perspective is omniscient, we’re not spared from the mystery in this series.

Who’s in the stained glass window?

I love how they tie in a detail as small as the gum. It just goes to show when you haven’t got much time, every character interaction is meaningful.

Props to Owen Wilson, he really sold Mobius to me.

Mirrors in a church showing the devil behind Mobius. Or on his side.

Time court 37

The time court 37 really reminds me of train stations.

The chairs remind me of pews. They sure are reverent of the Time keepers.

The lighting is a cool, bluish tinge for the first time I’ve noticed. Especially on Ravonna (MY LOVE!).

B-15 knows Loki’s clowning lmaooo.

Ravonna isn’t here for it either.

Ravonna’s nailpolish is a very nice shade of brown.

Theory: Resetting is ‘being brainwashed for the TVA’. Not very original, but it’s interesting that the TVA thinks that Loki would be useful as a worker, unlike the guy who got pruned earlier.

The TVA exterior is amazing. It also extends forever in all directions, even down.

Time Theatre 25

What is that elevator music??

“I thought you didn’t like to talk” Ragnarok, anyone?

Loki reading the ‘Time theatre’ sign whilst rambling. Gotta give it to him, he’s always aware of his surroundings.

The little TVA logo on Mobius’ shirt.

Shout out to whoever did the costuming. Personally, I liked the shirts with no collars, and the armour of the minutemen and Hunters came off to me as practical but not ignorant of the branding that the TVA likes.

Theory (bear with me): Once you’re a part of the TVA, you’re not collared anymore, though there is an appearance of that on the shirts.

Seriously tho, what are those shirts like? Mobius doesn’t have a collar.

Why do the ties just… end?

Neat details:

Holo projector 35.

The lights being reminiscent of skylights but still leaving the characters in the dark. “The sun will shine on us again, brother.” Not yet.

The reflection of the projector in the table/on the ground.

Loki: *turns away.*

Mobius: *sips Josta.*

Seriously, the lighting is great. Loki moving in and out of the shadows? Great way to show his mistrust/ unease of the situation.

The illusion speech is the last time we really hear 2012 Loki in my eyes, mainly because Mobius really gets into the cracks of who Loki is and then there’s action.

The ‘I was- I am” Freudian slip is perfection.

Side note the music’s changed yet again. It’s definitely setting up the more mournful tones for seeing his mother’s death.

I find it interesting that the door is partially in the shadows.

Doors are symbols of opportunities, barriers and both death and birth from what I remember of high school English.

From what I know in interrogations the person being interrogated is allowed to sit with their back to a door. Initially, both Loki and Mobius are sideways, equidistant from the door. When Loki wants to run, he edges closer to the door, even if it is just to make a point. Excellent blocking in my eyes.

Oh man, Mobius’ little gestures.

“Always so perceptive about everyone but yourself.” I really don’t have to talk about the significance of that line, do I?

Frigga being stabbed in the back. Little solace to a dead man? Ouch. That hurt me too.

Loki’s wounds heal unnaturally fast, because he’s no mortal.

Mobius really drives home the last point. Who says ‘like you did your mother” ??? Owen sold how Mobius can influence Loki's mind.

The ‘best versions of themselves' line and showing Thor must have hit Loki hard. He spent two movies trying to prove who he is, measuring himself against Thor. And then he sees them both working together and being equals.

Loki’s escape

Wunmi and Owen’s line delivery is unforced and charged, completely in character.

Mobius looking under the table is hilarious to me.

The music.

The tidy cubicle = healthy timeline is a bit contradictory because they’re supposedly in the null time zone but okay.

Is no one going to mention the taxidermy ferret?

Loki just had an identity crisis. His ‘gut you like a fish’ seems in character.

The dude’s really questioning everything he knows lmao.

Casey’s ‘what’s a fish’ was really our first hint that not everything is what it seems to be at the TVA.

It amuses me that Loki’s on his knees when he gets the Tesseract.

I’m sure someone’s pointed it out already, but given that Loki takes back the Time Twister, it’s possible he could have stolen an Infinity stone.

Again, point’s already been made but Loki seeing the Infinity stones is what sells the power of the TVA.

Please, the rest of the office not giving a damn when one dude’s having some drama is hilariously on point. They really said ‘not my problem’.

Loki’s future

The screen on the table showing what he’s rewinding as it happens.

Btw if you pause any moment during that, you’ll see a scene.

A quick note on Loki’s characterisation:

He’s been through a lot in a very short period of time, quite literally finding out that his actions don’t have any consequences. He’s lost all autonomy, especially as a god who probably believed he was not as restrained as mortals. More on this in later Eps.

I really liked Ragnarok because it showed Loki and Thor’s maturity; they had to step out of legacies that were thousands of years old and come to terms with a universe that was much bigger than them. It also fleshed out their relationship as brothers, but not at the expense of who they were. Loki still is a schemer, and he talks more because he has less to hide in my eyes. He’s no longer just a villain, and that can’t be shown by just actions, especially in his own tv show.

Loki’s little laugh when Thor talks about giving him a hug. Man that was sad.

What shouldn’t be forgotten is that Loki doesn’t know how it ends. He doesn’t know whether Thanos gets defeated. For all he knows, he died in vain and left behind a brother with no family.

The collar says DANGER.

This is the scene that really nails it home to Loki that his purpose in life was to cause pain. He found out his glorious purpose in that timeline, he’s conflicted as Sylvie points out in Ep 3.

When Loki talks to Mobius, they’re both in medium shots. They’re on the same page.

Loki’s delivery has changed when talking about the 'illusion' but Mobius hasn’t. That may change in the later episodes.

1858 Salina, Oklahoma

Others have covered this better.

Sylvie’s theme is similar to Loki’s but not identical.

It’s got sinister tones which change throughout the series.

I love how you can see the images of the minutemen’s past and future as they walk through a time door, they literally step through time.

I’ve got a whole other post on the end credits scenes. Cheers if you read this all lads.

Ep 1 review

All in all, this was a scene-setting episode. One of my friends texted me and said ‘Loki really went through ten years worth of character development in minutes’ and I think that sums it up pretty well. It’s a great set up, but the next episode is where the plot begins to progress. Really enjoyed it. There’s not too much that was aided by what we know from ep 3 besides Casey’s fish from what I caught.

See y'all next time, if there is anyone reading this. Look after yourselves!

#spoilers #loki spoilers #my respect for people that write scripts/analysis of any kind has increased immensely.#opinion #things i've noticed #sorry if they're not original #i don't hate mobius he is just very good at being an interrogator and it scares me #loki #loki review #b-15 deserves love #the analysts (mobius) the hunters the minutemen casey every one of them deserves love #here's to everyone who worked so hard and put so much into this series

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trashartandmovies · 3 years

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Berlinale Film Festival 2021, Industry Event, Day 1

We all knew the 71st Berlinale would be different, but who’d have guessed we’d be given a twofer? At this point, the juries for the Competition, Encounters, Shorts, and Generations sections have all handed out their awards. These juries got to watch the films in their respective categories on the big screen. Meanwhile, the press were given the opportunity to screen these movies at home, as well as the films in the Berlinale Special, Panorama, Forum and Forum Expanded sections, as well as the six films making up the Perspektive Deutsches Kino category and episodes from the six television shows included in Berlinale Series. (The always excellent Retrospective section is only screening during the summer.) Altogether, around 150 at-home screenings were made available to the press. We had five days to watch them. I was able to watch 22 of them. This is Part One.

———

I’m sure everyone covering the festival is hoping that the Summer Special, in mid-June, will go smoothly and we’ll be able to catch at least a fraction of the movies we weren’t able to see. (For geo-blocking streaming reasons, a few films in the lineup weren’t available at all in my geo-region. Including two in the Competition: the FABIAN adaptation and Daniel Daniel Brühl’s directorial debut NEXT DOOR.) Usually, the press is given a week ahead of the festival to check out the Panorama, Forum and Generations titles. One assumes it’s so that audiences may get some recommendations on these lower-profile movies in the inevitable situation when all the high-profile films are sold out. Will this happen in the summer? Unless I missed a press release, the details around the Summer Special are still a bit vague. Rightfully so, since we’re still living in week-by-week uncertainty as far as lockdown measures go.

All we can do now is cross our fingers and hope for a chance to get a look at some of the these titles, because when presented with the challenge of covering a 150-movie lineup over just five days, you have to make some obvious decisions. I suspect many people did what I did — try to watch all the Competition titles and get in a few Encounters, Specials, some shorts and hold out hope for one or two stray Panoramas or Forums. To make matters more heartbreaking, the press screenings went like this: every morning at 7:00 AM, you’d get an impossibly long list of films to watch until 7:00 AM next morning. You’d get a few Competition titles, a few Encounters and Specials, and a deluge of films from the other categories. For many films, all you could do is look at the title, nod, and say to yourself, hopefully we’ll meet again soon, because there’s no way I can fit a sixth movie in today without losing my mind.

(Now there was a wrinkle added to this plan. Over the weekend of March 6 - 7, the press could screen the award winners that got announced on Friday. But it was difficult to try and take this into consideration in any strategic way.)

———

Like most film festivals, Berlinale usually kicks things off with a star-studded opening night movie that’s usually too mainstream for the critics. With no red carpet to be concerned with this year, that wasn’t the case. Instead, on Day One, the closest to a big movie star name was Iain Glen (Game of Thrones). Glen isn’t the lead in Tim Fehlbaum’s TIDES, shown in the Berlinale Special program, but he does play a key role as an astronaut who’s landed back on Earth, generations after human had mostly left the increasingly inhabitable planet. Humans have been living in a space colony called Kepler, but everyone ended up sterile, so missions are being sent back to Earth in the hopes that they can once again live there and get their reproductive groove back.

That’s the underlying story of TIDES, and it’s just one element that will likely feel very familiar to anyone who’s well-versed in post-apocalyptic cinema. The color palette is stark, with muted colors. The landscape is barren, this one with lots of water, rather than the desert locales of Mad Max. In fact, the notorious WATERWORLD came to mind more than once while watching TIDES. There’s even a doll in the film that looks just like Dennis Hopper’s character in that film, eye patch and everything. That little detail may be one of the most interesting things about the film.

The main character of TIDES is another astronaut, played with a committed intensity by Nora Arnezeder. She crash lands on Earth, is held captive by central casting post-apocalyptic scavengers, and eventually tries to track down a McGuffin that will let her contact Kepler and report back that there are people reproducing on Earth. Meanwhile, she also suspects that something might remain of the previous mission that was comprised of her father and Iain Glen.

The main attraction here is Fehlbaum’s use of stunning landscapes and practical locations, like a beached industrial ocean liner that serves as inspiration for one of the primary sets. The art design and costumes are all exceptional, while the acting and photography are all decent enough. But it never does much with the conspiracy it tries to entertain us with. Its attempts at being thrilling look good, but can’t help but feel like pretty standard stuff at this point. It’s worth noting that one of the film’s producers is Roland Emmerich, a man who knows a thing or two about making generic high concept action pictures. Some things, like the art design and the pleasingly diverse and international cast, set TIDES apart. But the story is far less inspired.

Faring better were the Day One Competition titles. I started with MEMORY BOX, a lively picture wherein a daughter gets to better understand her mother when a box of the mom’s old teenage diaries and correspondence ends up on their doorstep. (This mother-daughter connection is essentially the same theme that Céline Sciamma’s PETITE MAMAN covers in a different, more sci-fi, fashion.) As the daughter, living in a nice house in Montreal, digs into her mother’s old journals, scrapbooks and tape recordings, the film travels back to 1980s Beirut through the eyes of her teenage mom. It makes these trips back in time through some pretty cool moments of collage-like animation — putting scrapbook pages into motion and diving into photographs and contact sheets that come alive. Plus, the soundtrack is killer, full of lively 80s post punk like Killing Joke, The Stranglers and Blondie.

There’s romance, the trauma of war, a strong refugee story, and a poignant tale of cross-generational understanding. The kicker is that it’s very autobiographical, with the film mirroring co-director Joana Hadjithomas’s own story of corresponding with her friend in Paris while Beirut was falling down around her. These journals are backed up by old photographs taken in Beirut from the other co-director, Kahil Joreige. Like last year’s fascinating BLOODY NOSE, EMPTY POCKETS, and this year’s A COP MOVIE, Berlinale movies are continuing to find success in blurring the line between documentary and narrative fiction. The movie has a little trouble maintaining momentum all the way through, but I loved the experimentation on display here, and the unique ways it tells its story. It helps that MEMORY BOX really sticks the landing at the end.

Next up was ICH BIN DEIN MENSCH, or I’M YOUR MAN — another film, like many in recent years, interested in the ethics behind artificial intelligence and robots with emotions. Think of it as a romantic comedy version of BLADE RUNNER, or an updated version of the forgotten-by-time Ann Magnuson and John Malkovich vehicle MAKING MR. RIGHT. This one, based on a recent short story by Emma Braslavsky, is directed by Maria Schrader, who recently helmed the popular Netflix series Unorthodox (she’s also a veteran film and TV actress, from Tatort and Deutschland 86 to AIMEE & JAGUAR). Schrader continues to prove that she has a good eye for framing and storytelling. The movie doesn’t always escape the problem that many German movies continue to struggle with, which is that they often feel like a good TV movie rather than a work of cinema, but it manages better than most.

The general idea is that Maren Eggert plays Alma, a researcher who is assigned the task of spending a couple weeks with a new personal companion robot named Tom, played by the dreamy-eyed Dan Stevens. Alma is, of course, a completely rational-minded person who is happy to just get through the two weeks with as little interaction with Tom as possible. In her mind, it’s an impossibility that a piece of technology could fulfill a human being’s needs. Of course, as each day goes by, Tom continues to surprise her and wear down her defenses.

It’s a pretty well-worn story by now. The issues that get raised over the course of the movie are some that Star Trek: The Next Generation was dealing with on a regular basis (Tom is similar to Data, though Stevens doesn’t need any special contact lenses), but there are some interesting wrinkles here. Few movies have looked at this subject from the female perspective. And if there’s one that that this year’s Berlinale truly excelled at, it’s offering a wide variety of movies by female directors and/or with female leads. We’ve covered three movies that fit that criteria already, and many more will come. What’s more, Maren Eggert gives us a character who’s at an age where she’s wrestling with the question of whether or not her child-bearing days are behind her. When’s the last time Hollywood dealt with that subject? So, while Alma starts off as a very emotionally distant, academic type, and the best thing about the movie is uncovering her past and getting to understand why she has put up so many walls. I’m not sure it does much with the subject of AI or robot companions, but it does provide a charming odd-couple story and I don’t have any complaints with Eggert winning the festival’s best actress award.

The nightcap on Day One was INTEURODEOKSYEON, or INTRODUCTION, the newest film by the prolific Korean auteur Hong Sangsoo. At last year’s Berlinale, Sangsoo was also in the Competition with the excellent THE GIRL WHO RAN, and he doesn’t disappoint with INTRODUCTION. Ironically enough, if you’re unfamiliar with Hong Sangsoo and don’t know where to start — understandable given the nearly 30 films he’s directed in the past 25 years — INTRODUCTION ain’t a bad way to start. It’s not his best work, but it’s pretty damn good, and a very accessible entry-point into the man’s style and thematic interests. And it barely cracks the 60-minute mark, so you’re not committing to much.

This one ping-pongs between a young man, Youngho, and a young woman, Juwan, both trying to figure out what to do with their lives. Juwan wants to study fashion in Berlin, Youngho wants to become an actor. Both run into problems with these pursuits — some of which are out of their control. In Youngho’s case, it leads to a hilariously drunken dinner confrontation with Ki Joo-bong, who may or may not be playing a version of himself, since he’s only credited as “Old Actor.” The esteemed Korean actor Joo-bong has appeared in Park Chan-wook films, SAVE THE GREEN PLANET, as well as few of Sangsoo’s other films and some 70 other movies. In INTRODUCTION, his character is revered by every other person he meets. And his advice to Youngho is an eruptive highlight in a movie that’s otherwise pretty subtle.

Subtlety is often Sangsoo’s thing, but the emotions he leaves you with tend to be pretty strong. This is his magic. He writes very realistic, dialog-driven scenes that, on their own, are nuanced and deceptively simple. But these quiet scenes build up to an ending that makes everything come together in a profound way. Even if you’re familiar with Sangsoo’s work, INTRODUCTION may come across as slight, or a minor work in the maestro’s deep catalog, but I found it’s pleasures to be more immediate than usual. To my knowledge, no one is writing screenplays like this. The way he reveals characters, develops them, and draws connections through casual lines of dialog, sometimes nested deep within a conversation, is practically his trademark move, and it’s never not remarkable. It demands your attention and then rewards it at the end. His technique is patient, confident and hugely sophisticated. The only problem I see is that, given his track record of releasing one or two movies a year, his talent is in danger of being taken. Don’t be one of those people.

#Berlinale 2021 #Hong Sangsoo #Introduction #I'm Your Man #Tides #Memory Box

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filmforthought · 6 years

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Phantom Thread Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Lesley Manville and Vicky Krieps Rating: ★★★ I’m notorious for my poor fashion choices. As a Resident Assistant in Laurel Hall, many people rag on me when I mossey around the building in flip flops and ankle socks. After many run-ins with the fashion police, I decided to up my game and wear a pair of Philadelphia Eagles moccasins. They’re dubbed as, “extra” by the folks I live with, but at least they’re comfortable. Oh, and my mother picked up my first pair of khaki jeans a few months ago, which matches really well with my Leonard Cohen embroidered sweater. Meanwhile, Daniel Day-Lewis’s character, Reynolds Woodcock, in Phantom Thread can be seen in a green checkered blazer with a light green scarf tucked into his dark brown dress shirt just getting breakfast.

Set in the 1950s, Reynolds Woodcock is a world-renowned fashion designer who creates elegant dresses. While on a trip to the country, Woodcock becomes interested in a waitress named Alma, played by Vicky Krieps, and takes her into his world of design. As a meticulous designer Woodcock has an overbearing work method which frustrates Alma. However, Alma petrifies the style genius with her own quirks. With their different mannerisms, their relationship isn’t exactly chic.

Surprisingly, Paul Thomas Anderson directs one of his most straightforward films that serves as a fitting end to the incredible career of Daniel Day-Lewis. There’s so much tension throughout, with incredible costume design, a strong leading performance by Day-Lewis, and a breathtaking score. But, the ending might rub viewers the wrong way.

Recently, director Paul Thomas Anderson has released layered stories that may fly over one’s head. 2014’s Inherent Vice was a complete mess and 2012’s The Master was a strange take on the brainwash of scientology (but in retrospect I like it.) Three years later, Anderson gives a direct story, but takes a chance on the ending. This leap of faith might divide the audience. For example, as the credits rolled with the graceful orchestral score playing at the theater, one person in a group of elderly ladies yelled, “SO THAT’S IT?” There was also another lady who sat towards the front with her fingers clasped over her mouth, giving the screen a hard stare while reading the credits all the way down to “catering by.” Despite Phantom Thread as one of the most accessible pieces in Anderson’s recent filmography, he still finds a way to thread the needle with audiences.

Anderson’s film isn’t dramatic like an episode of Project Runway, but there’s enough tension where one would like to run out of Reynold Woodcock’s sight. On his first date with Alma, Woodcock escorts her to his studio where he takes all her measurements, comments on her appearance, quizzes her on what colors would look best, and even his sister shows up to takes notes. If you step into Alma’s dress in that instant, you might yell, “get me out!” However, Alma doesn’t feel beautiful until she’s in Woodcock’s dress. Imagine wearing Crocs and cargo shorts for years, then a man sweeps you off your Crocs and puts you in a dress that Vanessa Hudgens would be jealous of. It’s an incredible feeling to have restored confidence in yourself, along with Crocs staying off your feet.

It’s not only his beautiful design, but Woodcock’s control is contagious too. In Woodcock’s presence, everything must be exact. Cordial greetings, timeliness, oil instead of butter to cook asparagus, and no tea at midnight are only some of Woodcock’s demands. Also, Woodcock gives a stare that’ll scare the Jake Paul t-shirt off your back. When someone will ask something of Woodcock, he’ll lower his chin and look up as though he’s waiting for horns to grow on his head. Woodcock’s control and looks creates an environment filled with tension.

Woodcock’s dresses are immaculate with seamless design and are works of art. Costume designer Mark Bridges produced over fifty dresses for the film. From social events to weddings, Bridges provides an arsenal of variety to capture the atmosphere through costumes. Even Randy Fenoli wouldn’t mind picking up a few gowns for some episodes of Say Yes to the Dress.

The eloquent dress design perfectly matches the cordialness of Phantom Thread’s score by Jonny Greenwood. When the score played through the booming speakers, I felt guilty wearing my Levi jeans and green button sweater. I wanted to rush out and change into a tuxedo with a tophat and monocle. The score consists of a sixty piece orchestra playing lush melodies. Greenwood’s score better fits the 19th century although it’s set in the 1950s, but it perfectly describes Reynolds Woodcock. Woodcock’s old fashioned by designing traditional dresses while others are drooling over James Dean’s leather jacket and motorcycle. The designer is stuck in the wrong generation, but lives in his own bubble. For those “90s kids” who get nostalgic over a Tamagotchi keychain, Woodcock takes it too far with a luxuriant score following him where he goes.

It’s no surprise Daniel Day-Lewis gives an excellent performance as Reynolds Woodcock. Day-Lewis doesn’t take his role over the top like other characters such as Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln or Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood. Instead, Day-Lewis plays his character assertively, but not fashionably dramatic. Considering the three time Oscar winner is supposedly retiring after this film, it’s a nice stitch to the incredible career he’s woven.

When I came back from the theater, I slipped on my Philadelphia Eagles moccasins, sweatpants and a Hanes white tee. Reynolds Woodcock wouldn’t be caught dead in such a pitiful outfit, but the designer’s story is an intense drama filled with technical achievements from costume design to the score. Above all, I took an important lesson away from Phantom Thread: don’t wear flip flops and socks.

#Phantom Thread #Daniel Day Lewis #Paul Thomas Anderson #Day Lewis #Lesley Manville #Vicky Krieps #Film #Films #Film Review #Cinema #Cinemas #Cinema Review #Movie #Movies #Movie Review

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mothermaidenclone-blog · 6 years

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi or Women Are Back in the Pilot Seat

I loved Star Wars: The Last Jedi. I loved it so much that I didn’t take as many notes as I should have because I was having so much fun watching it. I was also so excited to see it that I forgot to bring my notebook, so the notes I did write are on unfolded pick ’n’ mix bags, so this will probably be a much shorter review than this film deserves.

*Star Wars: The Last Jedi spoilers follow*

It seems wrong to start anywhere but with Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher). Leia is very much in charge, and is not afraid to slap sense into her troops when she has to - literally in the case of Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac). Additionally, she is not only strong in terms of leadership, resolve and principles, but also with regard to the Force. It has always been said that the Force is strong in her family, but so rarely do we get to see Leia display any of this mystical power herself. In The Last Jedi we see her survive in the vacuum of space for a short while and propel herself back to the safety of her vessel. However, she is not presented as invincible; after this incident she needs intensive medical care. If Leia was presented as impervious to harm, all of her feats of bravery and willingness to fight for good against enormous odds would have less significance, as she would have nothing to fear. Therefore, this vulnerability only emphasises her courage.

The final power that Leia displays is that of her maternal bond with Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Kylo murders his father, Han Solo (Harrison Ford), in the previous film, but is unable to kill Leia in The Last Jedi, despite having the opportunity to do so at a distance - in a space battle. He stabbed his father at close range with a lightsaber, but cannot bring himself to press the button that would remotely destroy his mother. This suggests that the maternal connection he shares with Leia is so much more powerful than that of the one he shared with his father on some innate, instinctual, emotional level.

Kylo also experiences a very intimate connection with another woman in this film, Rey (Daisy Ridley), so much so that Rey actually cries when touching hands with him through the Force. As an orphan who grew up alone in the desert, this reaction is hardly surprising, considering not only the connection experienced through physical touch but also their shared power. This power is integral to Rey’s character, as it is made clear that she is one of the strongest Force users, strong enough to shock renowned Jedi Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) into saying, “I’ve seen this raw strength only once before […]. It didn’t scare me enough then, it does now.” Rey’s abilities are made all the more impressive when it is discovered that her parents were nobody, scavengers who sold her for alcohol money - she doesn’t come from a line of Force sensitive royalty like Luke or Kylo, she didn’t inherit this power, it’s hers and hers alone. Alone might be the key word here, as Rey has been isolated her whole life: first in the deserts of Jakku, and then more figuratively from her friends, as she struggles to cope with her new, unique abilities. This loneliness highlights Rey’s greatest strength, her dedication to her principles. When she begins to experience this intensely personal link to Kylo, and he goes on to tell her, “You come from nothing. You’re nothing, but not to me”, she resists the temptation of joining him. Rey fights the urge to stay with someone who empathises with her, and also who negs her quite impressively to make it appear as though he’s the only person in the universe who understands her. She abandons possibly her only chance for a true connection with someone to stay true to her beliefs, morals and friends.

Another returning character is Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie), who puts in only a brief appearance but continues to demonstrate excellent martial skill nevertheless. She does fall in combat but firstly, she is a baddie and good must prevail in the Star Wars universe and secondly, we all know that falling down a big hole doesn’t actually mean you’re definitely dead in a Star Wars film.

Some new heroes make an appearance in The Last Jedi, most prominently, Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran). When we first meet Rose, she is completely in awe and starstruck at meeting Finn (John Boyega) and seems to serve to bolster his ego, but it quickly becomes apparent that she is, instead, a very strong moral compass. She is honourable and determined, openly scornful of the casino metropolis of Canto Bight; where Finn is dazzled by it’s opulence, she calls it out for its hedonism and exploitation by saying, “I want to put my fist through this beautiful city.” Rose is also very intelligent, as she is the one who figures out the solution to their tracking problem. She is all of these things whilst grieving for her sister, Paige (Veronica Ngo), who we see heroically sacrifice herself to save the Resistance at the start of the film. It is also important to note that these sisters are Asian, as however wonderful all the other women have been, so far they have all been white. I did initially hang my head in my hands when, after bravely preventing Finn from completing a suicide mission, she snogs him and appears to die. However, once it is clear that she survives, I was less annoyed by the kiss, as to me it seemed less romantic and more of a way of Rose really trying to convey her message to Finn, “We’re not going to win this war by fighting what we hate, but by saving what we love!” Obviously I am projecting a lot here, and this kiss is still aggravating and pointless, I have just chosen to interpret it as a gesture of a more symbolic love for humanity, when it’s almost certainly the beginnings of a romance storyline.

Another new introduction was Vice Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern). Holdo assumes command at a point of crisis; Leia is incapacitated and the First Order are bearing down on the Resistance with no prospect of escape. She is decisive and firm, acting in what she believes to be the best interests of the majority, admonishing Poe for being brash and impulsive. Holdo is unafraid to make hard decisions, ultimately volunteering for a mission that she knows she cannot survive, to save the rest of the Resistance. Also, she looked completely fabulous, her costume design was incredible.

In addition to all these credited characters, women are just very present in this film from the beginning, occupying positions in the background for both the First Order and the Resistance. Also, we see female fighter pilots and it’s a white man who dies first, so thanks for not going down that road, The Last Jedi.

Overall, there are so many strong female characters in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and they are strong in so many ways; emotionally, physically, mystically, intellectually and as friends and leaders. The joy of seeing so many women in a Star Wars film is still a beautiful thing, and as a little girl who used to talk to Yoda when she was troubled, I’m delighted there’s a whole pantheon of amazing women for little girls today to choose as their imaginary friends.

And now for some asides:

Ummmm, no thank you gross alien milking scene with extended eye contact, no thanks.

Everyone lost their mind over Porgs, but is no one going to say how great crystal foxes were? Or how fabulous evil BB-8 was?

I’m so glad we saw the return of the ultimate fashion icon, black-is-the-new-black Luke Skywalker.

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wingskribes-blog · 6 years

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Black Panther (17/20): There is SO Much To Talk About Here...

Oh boy, there’s a lot to say about Black Panther. We’ll begin spoiler-free of course, but we might have to stray a bit. I’ll let you know before we drift into dangerous territory. Seriously though, we have a lot to get through. So let’s figure this out.

(Actually, before we get into it, I just want to note something that struck me. There’s a lot of hype surrounding this film. Much of it is because it’s a pretty damn good movie. But a significant amount is due to the fact that it’s a black super hero movie with a mostly black cast, written and directed by a black filmmaker. And yes, I agree, not only is this awesome, but these levels of excitement are exactly the correct response. What struck me however, (and what impressed the absolute hell out of me) is, though representation and race are vital elements in the meta-narrative of the film’s release, they actually play extremely small roles in the in the story itself. No, the MCU’s first black super hero movie isn’t about racism. It’s about toxic nationalism. About tribalistic selfism. Not unrelated, I know, but as a theme it allows for a more nuanced, more interesting moral discussion. And it’s at least as topical as race. There is no doubt in my mind that Black Panther was written partially in response to the modern political landscape. I love the front it chose to fight on. It didn’t just go for the low-hanging fruit, and that’s rare.)

(Okay, back to the review.)

Black Panther easily stands out as one of the best films in the MCU franchise. Partly, this is due to the fact that it sets aside a lot of the baggage and detritus that’s built up over the many, many … many installments. Partly (of course), because it’s the well-conceived, well-executed passion project of a group of very talented people. Partly (and I may be alone in thinking that this is the smallest part of it, but even so it’s fairly significant), it’s because the film offers a fresh aesthetic that we (or at the very least, I) have never really seen in this kind of movie before.

DEFINITELY A MARVEL MOVIE

To begin, while in many ways it offers refreshing film-going experience, I wouldn’t dream of saying Black Panther is a game-changer for the MCU. Here’s why:

- The cinematography is very much in line with the rest of the franchise. We’re given dozens of hero-shots, rotating cameras, and sweeping arcs over grand structures and landscapes. Colours are bright; costumes are busy and elaborate. Action is smooth, fluid and easy to follow. All of this is what we usually expect to actually see in a MCU film.

- So too does Black Panther’s tone match other in-franchise films. Action-heavy, quippy (we’re going come back to ‘quippy’ later), never too dark, never to serious, with character tragedy that exists for the sake of plot rather than emotion (using pain to motivate characters to act, rather than to draw any strong feeling from the audience).

- Additionally, the tropes surrounding character motivations are vary-much in line with what we have seen before: Proving yourself worthy. Daddy issues. Old enemies returned. Secret histories discovered. Etc.

Now to be clear, I’m not saying any of these things are bad. Or that they automatically make for a good movie. Not at all. Hero shots are awesome. Marvel has carefully cultivated an extremely watchable balance in the tone of their films. And the motivations I mentioned are used so often because they are both relatable to the audience and chocked full of drama. But these are merely the composite parts with which the MCU likes to construct its films. Black Panther is no different in this regard. It is, however, a variation in the construction.

DIFFERENT THAN OTHER MARVEL MOVIES

This can be seen in a distinct lack of incestuous MCU Mythology. There are no major heroes or villains from other movies here. No carried over plot-lines or setting up future, bigger plots. But then, that’s hardly unique in 3rd Generation MCU, Hero-Introduction Films. (Though I would argue Black Panther is 4th Gen.) While Spiderman is balls-deep in mythology, both Ant-Man and Doctor Strange stand fairly isolated. But common to all three is the creation of a pre-packaged hero ready to ‘be the person they were meant to be’. Ready to join the fight. To become a piece of the larger mythology. Such intentions are unmistakable in these films, a character-shaping trope not present in Black Panther. Black Panther stands on its own four paws. It barely hints that it might be a part of a larger universe, a reality it almost seems to want to hide. This self-containment comes out in levels of creative freedom rarely found in present-day Marvel films.

I mentioned above how quippy dialogue gives the film a measure of MCU-ness. This however, was only a partial truth. I mean, it does, but less than we’ve come to expect. The watchable tone I mentioned above has caused MCU films to drift together. With a few exceptions, every character sounds the same. Most the major heroes are all arrogant smartasses. Everyone’s quippy. All the time. And as the franchise has advanced, this glibness has become more central to character and dialogue. To the point where character and honesty to the moment is regularly sacrificed for the sake of a cheap laugh (what I like to call, ‘crank calling the Hux’. At its best we get a legitimately fun and funny moments like the banter between Thor and Hulk/Banner in Thor: Ragnarok. But more often than not we get Doctor Strange’s cape acting like a Disney animal sidekick. Black Panther’s quippiness on the other hand doesn’t feel like painted-on humour. Jokes suit the characters telling them. Also, rarely are they told in a vacuum. Most often they fall into beats that actually advance the plot. They’re fewer and further between so the film feels less jokey. But ‘jokey’ is a crutch and this film doesn’t need.

But more than anything, Black Panther benefits from its MCU divergence in the formulaic plot structure / character type formula it avoids. We see it again and again and again and again in these movies, and when people say, I’m sick of these Marvel movies, there’s little doubt in my mind, this is why. Black Panther breaks away from this structure. It offers narrative scape I’m not actually sure I’ve ever seen before. It’s as fluid as the most formulaic MCU film but with the energy and excitement of one willing to break away and follow its own unique path.

So let’s stop comparing it to other films and talk about Black Panther by itself.

THE GOOD

I walked out of Black Panther with no real gripes about the film. I mean, I thought of one or two small ones later, but in the moment, none. Loyal readers will know just how rare an occurrence this is for me. I ALWAYS have something to complain about. Because so much of the film was done right.

The Characters: This film is its characters. There are more interesting, distinct, watchable characters than I really knew what to do with. Six characters that could easily have carried their own movie—including T’Challa (the Black Panther) himself, of course. They’re interactions were strong and felt extremely honest, giving life and substance to the film.

The Visuals: I mentioned above, both that the film closely follows Marvel visual tropes and offers a fresh and appealing aesthetic. This aesthetic is a beautifully crafted vision of what we might see in terms of art, architecture, design, fashion and just … in the appearance of society if an technologically advanced African civilization came into existence without any outside influences. It is gorgeously imagined and fashioned and it permeates the film, adding a level of beauty from which it’s hard to look away. Not than a layer of paint really, but much more mural than roll-on.

The Action: Again, Black Panther’s action can best be expressed in a comparison to other MCU films. (Sorry, but that’s just how it is.) Something about its many fights chases and battle sequences feels cleaner than most the action in Marvel films. It took me a while to figure out why. But it’s this: virtually all the action onscreen moves the narrative forward. Each beat of each fight is a turn in the story. This is to say there is very, very few shots of people doing cool fight moves just for the sake of showing cool fight choreography. As a result, the action sequences all have very well controlled pacing and never slow down the film’s narrative.

The Structure: Okay, here’s one of the things that I found really interesting (and unfortunately this is where things are going to get spoiler-y. So if you haven’t seen it yet, and you don’t want it spoiled for you, I’m afraid this is where we must say ‘goodbye’. Thank you for making it this far though my oh-so-long, and ever-so-dry review of the film! I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!).

(SPOILERS)

Okay, here’s the thing about the film, and it could very well be considered a flaw, even a plot hole, but I don’t actually see it like that. Anyway, I certainly found it interesting. So you know how Killmonger shoots Klaue and dumps his body to the border to gain access to the city and make his challenge? Well, why didn’t he just do this to begin with? The whole second act of the film has little to nothing to do with the rest. It could be cut away altogether and nothing would change.

Or would it…

Let’s look at Act One:

1) T’Chaka confronts his brother

2) T’Challa pulls Nakia from her mission

3) Klau and Killmonger steal the axe

4) The Challenge and ascension ceremony

5) T’Chall goes to the Plane of Ancestors and returns to the throne as king.

An apt title for this part of the story would be T’Challa takes his place as king. Act One. But after this—immediately after this—we get two little throwaway scenes that absolutely define the rest of the film. First, T’Challa and Nakia walking the streets and Nakia urging him to open the border and offer help to the rest of the world. He resists. The next scene is T’Challa and W’Kabi, the leader of his War Dogs. Here we get W’Kabi urging him to open the borders and enforce justice on the rest of the world. And yes! THIS! These two scenes encompass the entire conflict of the film—just moments before they get distracted with chasing Klaue. And of course, these are what come through in spades when Killmonger makes his challenge.

You see? All through this unnecessary second act, we have a shadow act in the background, hidden in plane view. It is there. Right up until the second challenge fight, it’s the film’s actual second act. The Klaue scenes are more or less an short film overlaid over top of it.

So why Klaue at all then? Well it gives T’Challa a chance to see Killmonger’s father’s ring so he can learn the truth about what happened. But that’s just exposition. They could have done that any number of ways, including showing the same explained flashback after Killmonger enters Wakanda. No, that whole thirty or forty minutes is there because if he just showed up at the border with a body and demanded to challenge T’Challa, we the audience wouldn’t have given two shits. It’s expository alright; it’s not informational exposition though. It’s dramatic exposition. Those thirty or forty minutes where they’re chasing Klaue, attach dramatic significance to him. And the rather intense scene where Killmonger (who at that point has done very little in the film) shoots him, transposes that significance onto him. So when we learn Killmonger’s heritage, when he appears to make his challenge, none of it feels out of nowhere. It feels like he’s the rightful villain of the film. It’s great.

Now, of course, there are other ways this might have been accomplished. I can think of one or two. I think most of these however would likely have veered dangerously close to the formulaic MCU plot structures I mentioned above. This does not. I’m not saying it’s an intrinsically good structure. But it’s interesting. And, in this context at least, it’s new. And best of all, it’s elegantly executed.

GRIPES

As I mentioned, I left the film with noting to complain about. Of course, I have since been able to find some things. But these are very minor.

First, when Killmonger throws T’Challa off the waterfall and his not-quite-dead royal body shows up in exactly the place his loved ones flee to. That’s some pretty damn strong plot armour. Ultimately, I found this fairly forgivable. Of course we knew he was going to turn up. And the act of ‘killing him’ led to some pretty strong moments in the story. Like when Nakita assumes Okoye will flee with her and Okoye is shocked at the idea. That was a beautiful scene.

Also when the M’Baku tribe shows up like the riders of Rohan, just when things in the battle are starting to look grim. That was both clichéd and overly projected.

Also, some tiny gripe about when they choose to speak English and when they don’t, pulling me out of the movie. But this review is already way too long. This didn’t actually bother me at all, I just kind of noticed it because I was looking for it. So fuck it.

#Black Panther #Marvel #MCU #Movie #Film #Review

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mst3kproject · 7 years

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Curse of the Living Corpse

Curse of the Living Corpse was released on a double-bill with The Horror of Party Beach – judging by the posters, Horror of Party Beach was the A-Picture, which ought to terrify you. Both Curse of the Living Corpse and Horror of Party Beach were filmed in the same town of Stamford, Connecticut (just an hour from Noo Yahk), use the same title font, and were directed by the same guy, Del Tenney, who also made a movie called I Eat Your Skin. The Del-Aires are unfortunately not in it, but Roy Scheider is. He went on to be in real movies, like Jaws.

In 1892, a man named Rufus Sinclair dies and is laid to rest, which is a relief to everybody because he was a tyrannical dickweed. But is he really as dead as he looks? It seems that Mr. Sinclair's heirs ignored the terms of his will, and as a result they are cursed. Each shall die by whatever he or she fears most. After being left behind at the crypt seemingly just so she can be the first victim, Lettie the maid is beheaded. Second-generation dickweed Bruce Sinclair is slashed in the face and then dragged to death behind a horse. Paranoid widow Abigail is set on fire. Wishy-washy coachman Seth, impaled on a cane. Gold-digging daughter-in-law Vivian is drowned in her bath. Drunk slob Philip is doomed to suffocate. And then the movie suddenly becomes The Dead Talk Back, turning from supernatural thriller into an episode of Scooby-Doo as it reveals that the murderous ghost was actually a guy in a costume the entire time!

Curse of the Living Corpse isn't very good, but it's a bit better than The Horror of Party Beach. It actually starts out strong, with the moody funeral procession and the will telling us what awful fate we can expect to befall each of the mourners. The characters are mostly nasty, selfish people, but that's okay – we already know they're going to die, so we might as well feel they deserve it. Bruce is vain and lecherous; Phillip is a lush and Vivian is just waiting for him to drink himself to death so she can be a wealthy widow; Abigail is a paranoid, neurotic wreck; and Lettie a frivolous bimbo. Unfortunately, as in The Horror of Party Beach, the characters we are supposed to like are almost entirely nonentities. These are brown-nosing cousin Robert and his dim but pretty wife Deborah, whom we know nearly nothing about because the movie is far more interested in their spiteful relatives. They're only in this movie so that the Sinclair fortune can go in the end to people we feel deserve it.

Although it starts well, the movie gets worse and worse as it goes along. The first death, of Lettie the maid, is entirely gratuitous (she wasn't even mentioned in the will) but comes closest to being scary. From there it's all downhill, as the murders get more and more contrived and the Comic Relief Cops get involved – oh, yes, the tradition of unfunny comic relief detectives goes back years before Last House on the Left, and was just as effective at killing the mood.

The final blow to the movie's credibility is the ending, which is just ridiculous – we're told that a particular person was the real culprit, and yet several of the murders were committed when we the audience knew perfectly well this individual wasn't even at the scene! It's true that we weren't actually watching him at that very moment, but he was with others when we last saw him, and those others are still there when news of the murder arrives. It's very hard to see how the killer could have left, done the deed, changed his clothes, and returned just moments ahead of the discovery without somebody catching on. The existence of the secret passage is not a satisfying answer. Then there's the question of how the murderer knew where people would be and when they would be there so they could die in a suitably ironic fashion. Honestly, Curse of the Living Corpse would make more sense if it were about a zombie.

A thousand smaller sillinesses go by as the movie makes its slow, steady way down Quality Hill. The murderer dresses like Zorro, which I'm pretty sure the brains would have kept funny long after it ought to be stale. There's the sound of hooves on cobblestones dubbed in over horses trotting on dirt, and it goes on just a fraction of a second after the animals have stopped moving. Vivian has some very un-Victorian shoes and her struggles in the bath tub are not nearly so much about escaping as they are about never letting the camera see her nipples. Bruce Sinclair appears to be about the same age as his mother. Two reveal jump-scares are wrung from the same severered head – I imagine Mike reacting to this with an unimpressed, “yep, still there.” How in god's name did the killer get back into the crypt after locking it from the outside? And what happened to Rufus Sinclair's body? It's not important to the plot, but I wanted to know.

The inspiration for Curse of the Living Corpse appears to have been a strange phenomenon of the 18th and 19th centuries. Victims of cholera were usually buried very quickly in the attempt to keep the disease from spreading – however, in an age before autopsies and embalming were around to finish off the not-quite deceased, a few of these people inevitably turned out to be only mostly dead. There were cases of supposed corpses sitting up at their own funerals, or knocking on the coffin lid as it went into the grave. Tales spread of graves being dug up to find that a man who was clean-shaven when he died had grown a beard, or of bloodied hands as people died still trying to claw their way through the coffin lids. This prompted a mass fear of being buried alive, and people began to take precautions against it.

The most famous and elaborate of these is probably the alarmed coffin, which had a tube and string leading to the surface so that the prematurely interred could ring a bell to alert somebody. Other people had a telephone wire installed with a speaker so they could call for help. Much more common, however, were people like Rufus Sinclair, who simply specified in their wills that they could not be buried until a certain number of days after death. I'm pretty sure the writers of Curse of the Living Corpse read about this and decided there was definitely a horror movie in there somewhere. Pity they couldn't find it.

If Curse of the Living Corpse has a theme or moral, it's probably about family and loyalty – no matter how much of a jerk Rufus Sinclair was, he was still the patriarch, and his family should have respected his last wishes. The will notes that cousin Robert 'acted as I wish my sons had'. This and the description of Deborah as 'chaste' is the only real indication we get that they were the nice people who deserve the inheritance. There are multiple levels, however, on which this just doesn't quite work.

For one thing, Robert and Deborah were present at the original funeral, and were party to the neglect of the will. It stated that Robert was responsible for making sure the rest of the family saw to Rufus Sinclair's conditions for the treatment of his body. It's clear that Bruce and Philip were primarily responsible for wanting their father buried as quickly as possible, but we never see Robert or Deborah make even a token protest. Indeed, their survival seems to have been pure chance: the killer just never got around to them before he was discovered.

Meanwhile, others with a better claim to innocence than cousin Robert and his wife nevertheless suffer for their disrespect. Lettie the maid is the first to go, but as I noted above, her death wasn't called for in the will, which never even mentions her by name. In fact, even when we find out who the real killer is and his motive, murdering Lettie still doesn't make much sense. She was only going to inherit a couple of dollars at best, and she didn't catch him in the act of doing anything nefarious – all he had to do was wait five minutes, and she would have been gone. Seth the coachman was opposed to the quick burial, and indeed tried to keep to the terms of the will even against his employers' orders. He still died.

The real problem with familial piety as a theme, however, is the final scene, in which we learn that the culprit had in fact been planning this for years. He wanted to inherit the family fortune alone, and used the terms of the will to blame his killing spree on the supposedly undead Rufus. This leads the audience to wonder how he knew what was in the will, when everything outside of the instructions for burial seems to come as a surprise to the family – but it also makes it evident that he would have tried to murder everyone whether the will were respected or not. True, he had a major role in the decision to disrespect it, but he could not possibly be sure everybody else would go along.

For all that, however... I kinda liked Curse of the Living Corpse. Much like Horror of Party Beach, it's enough fun that its sins against logic can be mostly ignored, or enjoyed as part of the camp. Curse also has a bonus amusement in its 19th century setting: anachronisms pop up frequently, and they're always good for a giggle. It certainly would have made for a fantastic episode – particularly if we got to see Crow in a Zorro costume, trying to sneak up on Mike and Servo as they always move aside just moments before his claws can close around their necks!

#mst3k #reviews #episodes that never were #curse of the living corpse #60s

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